Love Everlasting
by here4rizzles
Summary: Sequel to Unconditional. Jane and Maura and their children. Established Rizzles, family fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The house was quiet. An energy was missing in the home. A pair of shoes by the door was missing, the jackets that were always thrown over a chair were gone, the sound of happy chatter was missing, leaving the house feeling empty despite the fact that there were still three girls around.

Tears started trickling down Maura's cheeks but she didn't notice. She just stared at Rachel's empty bedroom, unable to stop thinking about how they dropped her off at college that afternoon. They decorated the girl's dorm according to Rachel's taste and she was truly happy to be at college. She met new friends right away and immediately got invited to two parties, something Maura didn't like at all. But all that mattered was the smile that curled Rachel's lips and the happy sparkle in her blue eyes.

But the part that was stinging Maura was the sound of Rachel's voice calling out to her. 'Wait!' She had called them back before walking out of the building and running towards Maura, throwing her arms around her neck for a squeezing hug. Maura had fought back her tears and just told Rachel how much she loved her before letting her go and watching her giving Jane the same squeezing hug and Morgan a sweet kiss on her cheek. She waved them goodbye and Maura managed to hold back her tears until they drove around the corner and her tears flooded over.

A part of her was concerned about Rachel. She was doing a lot better after she lost her father and she was incredibly strong but Maura didn't like her girls being so far away from her. Rachel deserved college. She was smart and independent but Maura knew how she needed them sometimes. She knew the nights where Rachel couldn't sleep or the days when the pain in her heart just started weighing too much and pulled her down. The moments when she needed Jane and Maura to hold her tight and pull her back up on her feet. Now the time was there when she needed to do that by herself.

"Mom?" A mess of dark curls appeared in the doorway, a pair of brown eyes looking concerned and a familiar hesitating smile curling the eight-year-old's lips.

Maura smiled at Lily and wiped her tears from her cheeks. "Hi, baby."

"What's wrong?"

Maura shook her head and sat down on Rachel's bed, looking at the empty walls because Rachel took her pictures and posters with her. "I just miss Rachel, that's all."

"Already?" Lily chuckled and walked towards her mother. "She's only been gone for like a few hours!"

Maura laughed and kissed Lily's temple when the girl sat down next to her mother. "I know."

Fresh tears sprung to Maura's eyes when she felt Lily's short arm wrapping around her neck and her lips pressing against her cheek. She smiled and wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter, pulling her in for a sweet hug. She brushed her hand through her girl's familiar dark curls, and smiled when she felt Lily's arms tightening around her neck. Unconditional love overwhelmed Maura as she gently rocked her from side to side, holding her closer against her while she thought about how she held this girl in the same position so long ago when they welcomed her into their lives as a baby. She remembered how after hours and hours of excruciating labor, the most beautiful little girl was brought into the world and she fell in love. It seemed like yesterday even though eight years had passed.

"Rachel's gonna be okay, Mom," Lily said softly. "She loves it over there."

Maura nodded and smiled lovingly while she brushed her daughter's messy curls back. "I know."

Lily furrowed her brow and reached out to wipe her mother's tears with the palm of her hand, eliciting a sweet smile from her mother. "I'm gonna go get Mama, okay? So she can give you kisses and tell you how much she loves you and other gross stuff." Lily rolled her eyes while she untangled herself from her mother.

Maura chuckled and shook her head as she watched her daughter walking out of the room and calling out for Jane. Maura composed herself and straightened her back when she saw her wife entering the bedroom.

"You okay, Maur?" Jane's brow furrowed in concern as she walked towards the blonde on the bed.

Maura nodded. "I'm fine. I-… I'm just trying to get used to the house without Rachel, that's all."

"Hm." Jane sat down next to her and pressed her lips against Maura's temple. "Time is going fast, isn't it?"

"Very," Maura whispered, thinking about the past few months. It seemed like yesterday they took in Rachel and Morgan after their father died. It had been a little less than nine months and the girls were a true part of the Rizzoli-Isles family.

"And it's only going faster from here, I think," Jane said softly, rubbing her hand up and down Maura's back.

Maura sighed deeply and nuzzled her nose into her wife's neck. "I wish I could slow things down."

Jane chuckled. "Yeah."

"So I could have more time with you." Maura lifted her head and cupped her wife's cheek to look into her dark eyes. "I could spend a thousand years with you by my side," she whispered.

Jane smiled slightly and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure you'll get tired of me after two hundred years.

"I won't." Maura giggled and pecked her wife's lips. "Maybe after five hundred."

Jane chuckled and hummed while she captured her lips in a loving kiss, humming at the taste of her wife. Maura smiled into the kiss and tangled her fingers in Jane's curls, pressing her body against her wife's. When she pulled back she rested her forehead against Jane's and looked into her beautiful dark eyes. "I love you," she whispered.

Jane smiled lovingly and pecked her lips. "I love you too."

Maura's arms moved tighter around the brunette next to her on the bed and squeezed her close while she placed small kisses on her lips over and over again. She felt Jane humming against her and smiled.

"Maur," Jane mumbled in between kisses.

"Hm?" Maura continued the soft, small kisses with a smirk curling her lips, feeling little sparks of electricity every time her lips touched her wife's.

"You're turning me on," Jane mumbled. She reluctantly pulled away and gently pushed Maura's shoulders to stop her kisses.

Maura chuckled and brushed Jane's dark curls behind her ear. "I guess we should stop then."

"Yep." Jane shook her head to get out of the haze she was in and pressed her lips against her wife's forehead. "C'mon." She pulled her up from the bed and brushed her hand up and down Maura's back. "Are you okay?"

Maura nodded, smiling lovingly. "Yes." She followed her wife out of Rachel's bedroom and saw Lily sitting at the dinner table working on a drawing while sipping on a glass of lemonade with ice.

"Where are the girls?" Jane asked, looking around the room for Anna and Morgan.

"Outside." Lily pointed at the backyard with her pencil without looking up from her piece of paper.

In the backyard, Anna was sitting on the porch bench, her dress pulled up too high around her thighs as she sat in her usual position with her legs up on the bench, a book resting against them as she concentrated with her brow furrowed. Morgan was lazily kicking a soccer ball around, her shoulders hanging low, her eyes fixated on the ball. She missed her sister. The last part of her biological family was now gone and that took time to get used to.

Jane walked towards the short girl and kissed her forehead, smiling at her before playfully kicking the ball away from Morgan.

"Hey!" Morgan squealed.

"Come get it."

"Oh, yeah?" Morgan smirked and started a playful fight over the ball with her foster mother, giggling and laughing while she tried to win.

Maura smiled. She loved the sound of her daughters' laughter. After Craig died, Morgan's laughter became a rare thing in the house. Maura was glad to hear it more and more lately. She sat down next to Anna, still smiling when she kissed her daughter's temple and tucked a strand of loose hair into her ponytail. She looked gorgeous. Her long hair got lighter in the summer sun and grey eyes sparkled, the freckles on her nose standing out on her pale skin, her cheeks rosy as ever.

Anna looked up at her mother and saw her dried tears. She furrowed her brow, her usual instinct telling her that Maura had been crying. "You okay, Mom?"

Maura smiled. "I'm fine." Anna picked up on emotions. She felt what other people felt and sucked it all up inside her. She saw that her mother's words were genuine and nodded her head before resting it against her mother's upper arm while Maura pulled her dress back down.

Maura wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulder and relaxed against the back of the cushions on the bench when she heard the doorbell.

"I'LL GET IT!" Lily called from inside.

They heard Lily hurrying towards the front door and opening it before an unfamiliar female voice greeted her. Lily answered an unheard question with 'yeah sure' and Maura straightened her back when they walked through the house towards the backyard.

A slim, tall woman with straight dark hair appeared. She wore an expensive grey suit and was holding a black purse in her hands. "Good afternoon," she greeted Maura who stood up from her seat to shake the woman's hand as she offered it to her.

"Hello," Maura replied, unsure of who this woman was and why she was here.

"My name is Amelia-…" She looked at Morgan who stopped playing soccer to look at the unfamiliar woman. "Morgan!" 

Morgan furrowed her brow. "You know me?"

"Well of course! I'm aunt Amelia!"

"Aunt?" Maura shook her head. "That's-… That's not possible."

Amelia smiled a smile that looked a bit evil in Maura's opinion. "I'm afraid it is, Mrs. Isles."

"You know us?" Jane had walked towards them and stood next to Maura.

"I did my research."

"Why are you here?"

Amelia showed that smile again. She motioned towards Morgan, her movement slow and gracious. "I'm here to take her back to her family."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Family? What the hell are you talking about?" Jane was starting to get angry and felt her own hands balling into fists at her side.

"I don't have any family." Morgan furrowed her brow and looked up at Jane and Maura.

"Oh you do, silly!" Amelia laughed but the laugh didn't contain happiness. "I'm your mother's niece." She turned her attention back to Jane and Maura. "I'm Amelia Matthews, Janet is my cousin."

"We haven't seen your name coming up in any of the testaments or other files," Maura said, in her mind going through all the information they read during the process of fostering Rachel and Morgan.

"I just got back from Japan. I like to travel." Amelia smiled an arrogant smile and Jane felt her stomach clenching in annoyance. "But now I'm back, and in my opinion, Janet's daughters should be with family. Now I know the older one is too old, but she right there," she pointed at Morgan who looked more and more scared with every word Amelia spoke, "should have a home with someone that's biologically related."

Jane snorted and let out an involuntary chuckle. "I'm afraid you're too late." She put her hand on Morgan's shoulder and gently pulled her closer towards her. "We're fostering her, she's with us now."

Amelia raised her chin and smiled that wicked smile again. "Fostering, huh?"

"We'll move on to adoption when we can," Maura said, her brow still furrowed as she tried to figure out how they could have missed this woman. Jane was asking herself the same questions. There was no testament so nothing was determined officially but they looked through the family. Except for the great-aunt in Utah, there was none. All four of their grandparents had died, Craig was an only child and Janet had one brother but he died when he was only twenty years old. Maybe cousins in Japan didn't come up during a routine family research. That meant Amelia had no rights to Morgan whatsoever. But somehow, the way she talked and smiled scared Jane. She had done her research. She didn't come unprepared and knew what she was talking about. She looked like she was prepared for a battle.

Amelia shook her head and her red painted lips curled up into a slight smile. "Biological family will always be superior to whatever you are offering her."

Anger bubbled in Jane's stomach and she had to keep herself from squeezing Morgan's shoulder too hard. "We're offering her everything she needs."

Amelia didn't seem to listen. She bent down to look directly into Morgan's eyes like she was a little child. "Morgan, how would you like to live in a beautiful villa just outside of New York? The city is just a few minutes away and there would be so much opportunities for you there. Schools are way better than in Boston and you'd finally reach your full potential." Amelia smiled and reached out to touch Morgan's arm, but Morgan flinched and shuffled closer towards Jane. Amelia didn't notice. "You'd be with _family_ , Morgan. Family."

"I already have a family," Morgan replied, her voice unsteady. "I don't want to go anywhere."

"I see." Amelia straightened her back and looked down at the short girl. "You're thirteen, right?"

"Yeah."

"I see," Amelia repeated, slowly nodding her head. "Too young to make adult decisions. You don't know what's best for you yet. You need adults."

"We're adults and we know what's best for her." Jane felt like beating up this woman. She wanted to reconstruct her face with her fist but she contained herself. She had no idea one person could manage to be this arrogant and annoying.

"Why do you even want me?" Morgan asked, feeling a little bolder now that she stood in front of Jane with Jane's hands resting on her shoulders.

Amelia shrugged. "I want what's best for you."

"Yeah, somehow I don't believe that." Jane narrowed her eyes.

Amelia sighed and seemed annoyed with Jane's defensive attitude. "I suggest we continue this later."

"I suggest we don't."

Amelia stiffened and her expression turned hard. "I will have you know I have a very good lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Maura's eyes widened and she looked at Jane quickly before looking back at the tall woman in front of them. "Are you planning on taking this to court? That's ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous?" Amelia seemed offended, much to Jane's pleasure.

"You won't stand a chance!" Maura raised her hands in the air. "Pulling her out of her life, away from her school and friends? Taking her away from us, whom she's been with for nine months? Take her away from the people that have known her since she was four? Please, no jury will give you the advantage in such a case!"

"I see." Amelia replied again, an answer that really started to annoy Jane.

"And besides all that, where were you when her father passed? Why are you coming with this now?" There was anger in Maura's voice that startled them. There would be no messing around when it came to Morgan. She would protect that little girl with her life if she had to. "No matter how great your lawyer is; this would be a hopeless case. So I suggest you keep the money and save the energy and just let Morgan stay where she is."

Jane grinned proudly. Maura could be so badass if she wanted to.

"I have plenty of money and plenty of energy," Amelia replied with a stone cold look on her face. "It's a shame you won't corporate, now we'll have to fight this in court and it will only make things harder for Morgan."

"Make things harder?" Jane balled her fists on Morgan's chest. "Really? You don't think you're already doing that?"

"This transition could have gone smoothly and-…"

"There will be no transition!" Jane interrupted her loudly.

Amelia looked annoyed. "….and without anyone getting hurt."

"Without anyone getting hurt?" Maura said, her voice laced with hate and hurt. "You're attempting to take away our daughter!"

"Daughter?" Amelia huffed. "She has nothing of your DNA. She's not your daughter."

"Yeah, I am." Morgan nodded but seemed to scared to speak up.

"Oh honey, you're only thirteen," Amelia said in that hushing tone again, like Morgan was a toddler. "Just let the grown-ups talk, okay?"

"I think we're done talking." Jane felt Morgan walking away from them and sitting down next to Anna who witnessed everything with concern in her eyes.

Amelia handed them her card and asked them to tell them if they changed their minds about what was good for Morgan and left the house with the message she would ask her lawyer to let them know when they would be expected in court.

Fire burned in Jane's stomach and she balled her fists so hard her nails dug into the palms of her hands. This woman worked on all of her nerves at once.

"I'm not going with that awful witch!" Morgan crossed her arms and seemed angry for a split second before tears welled up in her blue eyes. "She can't do anything, right? I'm not going to New York, I don't want to leave you guys-…"

"Hey," Jane kneeled down in front of the girl and felt her anger disappearing, making place for love and care. "You're not going anywhere."

Morgan sighed in relief and nodded her head, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "Why is she so awful?"

"I don't know," Jane replied truthfully. She had no idea. Did she do it for the money? Children cost money. Did she do it for the attention? She clearly cared very little about Morgan.

Maura sat down on the porch bench next to Morgan, still lost in thought as she tried to figure out how this happened. "I don't-… I don't understand… We didn't even know she existed…"

"Yeah, you usually don't know about some cousin in Japan."

"She doesn't stand a chance." Maura convinced partly herself, partly the people around her.

"She doesn't!" Morgan agreed, wiping her cheeks with the back of her wrist. She straightened her back and turned to wrap her arms around Maura's neck, squeezing hard as Maura's arms wrapped around the short girl. "She's crazy. I'm not going anywhere."

Maura smiled lovingly and kissed the side of Morgan's head. "No, you're not."

"I don't think she's very smart," Anna said softly, carefully pitching in to the conversation. "I mean, the things she said sounded smart but it was pretty dumb."

"Yeah." Jane chuckled and stroked Anna's hair.

"You can't just walk into someone's house and ask 'hey, can I have your child?' just because you're some kind of family member!" Anna shook her head at the stupidness of this woman.

"That's right." Jane smiled proudly and brushed her hand through Anna's long hair while she watched Maura and Morgan gently breaking the embrace. "She doesn't stand a chance."

Anna nodded in agreement. Morgan seemed to relax a bit more when Maura gently spoke quiet words of comfort and tightened the embrace. She was extraordinary at the act of calming Morgan down. Morgan trusted her and felt safe in her arms. She seemed to let the whole thing slide and continued playing soccer with Lily in the backyard until it was time for bed for all of them.

That night, Maura was lying in the large hammock on the porch with a few reports in her lap, trying to keep her focus and going through all of them before the next day. Jane had been called in to work for an emergency case and would be pulling a late night. Thankfully the girls were asleep so Maura was enjoying the late summer air as the world slowly got dark.

A light shuffle announced the arrival of one of the girls and Maura looked up to see Morgan standing in the doorway. "Hi," she smiled. "What's going on? It's late."

"I can't sleep." Morgan folded her arms and looked guilty.

"Hm." Maura closed the report in her lap and shifted in the hammock, patting the spot next to her to invite the girl to come next to her. "Careful so we don't flip over like you and Anna did yesterday."

Morgan chuckled softly, remembering how she and Anna fell down on the grass when they balanced wrong. She climbed in next to her foster mother and wiggled to get comfortable.

"What's going on?" Maura whispered.

Morgan shrugged and fumbled with the hem of her pajama T-shirt. "I don't know… She-… She really can't do anything right?"

"That Amelia woman?"

"Yeah."

"No, sweetheart." Maura shook her head and wrapped her arm around the skinny girl's shoulders. "I truly don't think she has a chance of winning this."

"But… But she's gonna try, right?"

Maura sighed. "Probably, yes."

"Why?" Morgan lifted her head from Maura's shoulder to look at the older woman. "Why does she even want me?"

"I don't know, baby. She's a despicable woman. You belong with us, Morgan."

"But you're just fostering me, right?" Morgan furrowed her brow in thought and rested her head back on her mother's shoulder. "You're not like-… My real moms."

"Foster parents."

"Can't you just adopt me? Then she can't do anything anymore!"

Maura smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind Morgan's ear. "We're working on that, honey. Adoption is a long and complicated process."

"Yeah." Morgan snorted and crossed her arms. "Way too long." She stayed silent for a short moment while her expression dropped and she uncrossed her arms again to snuggle into Maura's side. "But what if her lawyer really is very good?"

"Our lawyers would be better." Maura sighed and just stared at the backyard that was getting darker and darker every minute. "And any jury would say stability is the most important thing in your life right now. If it even comes to a jury, which I doubt. It would be wrong to transfer you to a different school, move to a different city, force you to make new friends…" Maura shook her head. "No, she doesn't stand a chance. We already have legal guardianship over you."

"So it's impossible to steal that guardianship from you and Jane?" Morgan asked.

"Well, no. It would be possible, but not in this case."

"But it could be?"

"I said, not in this case."

"But, what if-…" 

"Morgan." Maura cupped the girl's cheek and turned her head to look into her eyes. "You don't have to be afraid. I promise you we will do everything in our power to make sure nothing happens to you. Everything, honey."

"I'm not afraid."

Maura tilted her head.

"Y-, okay I'm a little afraid." Morgan sighed and averted her gaze before resting her head back on Maura's shoulder. "I'm finally getting happy again and you're such a cool family…" Her voice grew quiet and she had to swallow a lump in her throat before she could continue. "I don't want to go anywhere, Maura," she whispered through the tears that suddenly sprung to her eyes. "You're my family."

Tears welled up in Maura's eyes and she pulled the girl closer in her arms. "You're not going anywhere, my sweet girl," she answered softly. "You're my daughter. I'm not letting you go. Ever."

Morgan smiled sadly and nodded her head. "I don't want to go."

Maura pressed her lips against Morgan's temple. "I love you, baby girl," she whispered quietly. "I love you so much and I'm not letting that evil lady get to you."

"I love you too, Mom."

"Mom?" A tear trickled down Maura's cheek and she smiled brightly.

"Yeah that sounded weird, didn't it?" Morgan chuckled to herself and wiped her cheeks.

"No, honey. It sounded just right." Maura felt her heart swelling with love for the short girl against her side, gently smoothing her short dark hair as she felt her snuggling closer. "I'm honored to be a mom to such beautiful girls."

Morgan just hummed and Maura felt her relaxing against her, the girl turning on her side, her head resting on her mother's chest. She shivered in just a pair of short and a T-shirt, curling up into a ball against Maura. "It's getting cold," she whispered, seemingly unsure of how to reply to Maura's sweet words.

"Hm, autumn is coming." Maura rubbed her hand up and down Morgan's back and felt her skinny body relaxing. Amelia had scared her and Maura hated that woman. Morgan knew she wouldn't be able to take her from them but a part of her was intimated by that tall, classy lady that claimed to be her biological family. "You don't have to be afraid, sweetheart," Maura whispered soothingly. "We're here and we're not letting you go, you don't have to be afraid."

Morgan nodded weakly and Maura felt the girl slowly drifting off to sleep. She put away the files in her lap and wrapped both her arms around her foster daughter, whispering soothing words of comfort. "Don't be afraid, love. Your family's here, we love you so much. You're such a brave girl and I'm so proud of you."

A small smile curled Morgan's lips as her eyes closed and her skinny arm rested over Maura's stomach, her breathing getting slower.

"You're not going anywhere," Maura whispered to both Morgan and herself. "You're staying with us, where you belong."

After only a few more minutes, Morgan was fast asleep and Maura was close to falling asleep herself. Her eyes kept falling closed as she stared up at the star-filled sky and breathed in the nightly air. Morgan wouldn't be going anywhere. She couldn't miss this little girl. She couldn't miss this beautiful teenager that brought a smile to everyone's faces, a warm glow in their heart and so much happiness life. This beautiful girl that was too skinny and quite short but so beautiful with those bright blue eyes and chin-length dark hair.

Maura was almost asleep when she heard the front door opening and the sound of her wife's boots on the hardwood floor. She opened her eyes and smiled when Jane walked onto the porch. "Hi," she greeted her, nodding her head at Morgan. "What's going on?"

"That awful woman scared her."

"I'm ready to cut that bi-…"

"Jane."

"Right." Jane sighed and shook her head before carefully leaning down to capture her wife's lips in a quick but loving kiss. "You okay?"

Maura nodded and looked at the sleeping girl in her arms. "She called me Mom," she whispered with a sweet smile.

"Really?" Jane raised her eyebrows, knowing how the simple word 'mom' held so much pain for the girls due to their abusive mother.

"Yes, really." Maura chuckled quietly and carefully kissed the top of Morgan's head. "Sweet thing."

"Hm. She should be in bed, though…" Jane reached out to caress Morgan's cheek. "She'll wake up stiff tomorrow if she sleeps in this position."

Maura hummed and reluctantly agreed with her wife. "Can you help me? I'll fall out."

"Yeah you will." Jane laughed and gently took Morgan's arm, pulling it away from around Maura's stomach to tuck her arms under Morgan's and carefully lifting her off the hammock.

Morgan moaned in her sleep and let out a deep breath. "Hmm?"

"Shh, it's just me," Jane whispered while lifting her in her arms.

"Mama?"

Jane smiled lovingly, Morgan's arms wrapping around her neck while Jane looked at Maura with a loving sparkle in her eyes. "Yeah baby, it's just Mama."

Morgan hummed, not even noticing what was happening, immediately falling back asleep. Meanwhile Maura had managed to get out of the hammock without falling and stood next to her wife to kiss her lips and the back of Morgan's head. "Sleep well, sweetheart," she whispered. "I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Hmm." Jane hummed contently, feeling her wife's fingers tracing across her bare back. She was lying partly on top of the beautiful blonde and still tried to regulate her breathing after hours of passion and love. "You're amazing."

Maura smirked slightly and moved her hand up and down Jane's side. "I can say the same for you, detective."

Jane groaned and lifted her head from Maura's chest to kiss her wife on her soft lips. She loved it when Maura called her 'detective'. It always elicited a love-induced tickle in her stomach and she smiled into the kiss when she felt that tickle again.

A slight moan from Maura caused Jane to pull herself tighter against her wife and deepen the kiss, moving her hands to gently cup her breasts. Maura gasped and pulled back, throwing her head back and biting her lip. "Jane," she breathed out.

"Hm?"

"I can't-…"

"What?"

Maura sighed and gently cupped Jane's cheek to move her away from kissing her neck. "I couldn't possibly go for another round," she whispered with an apologetic smile. "You completely wore me out."

Jane grinned proudly and nodded her head. "Yeah, I did."

"Oh don't give me that." Maura chuckled and wrapped her arms around her wife's neck to pull her closer.

Jane allowed the embrace and hid her face in the crook of Maura's sweaty neck, loving the feeling of her wife's naked skin against hers. "I'm kidding, I'm just happy I can still make you feel good."

"Hm." Maura pressed her lips against Jane's bare shoulder. "You've never failed to make me achieve orgasm."

Jane wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

"Ew? Come on, Jane!"

"It sounds so clinical when you say it!"

Maura sighed. "You always get so childish."

"Am not-.." Jane shook her head and contained herself. "Sorry."

Maura just hummed and squeezed her arms around her wife, silently telling her it was okay. She was used to it by now. "I'll just say you make me feel the utmost pleasure and you make me feel loved, more than ever, every time over and over again."

"I do love you," Jane whispered quietly. "More and more every day." She lifted herself up on her elbow and stared down at the blonde beneath her, admiring her stunning beauty. Her hair was frizzy and splayed out on the pillow, her cheeks rosy and freckled, her forehead glowing with sweat. Her eyes were sparkling with never-ending love and her soft lips were curled up into a beautiful, small smile. Jane couldn't help herself and leaned down to kiss those pink lips she loved so much, feeling Maura's soft hands tangling in her messy curls to pull her closer.

When they broke apart, Maura smiled brightly and gently massaged her scalp. She was about to say something when they heard the front door opening downstairs. Maura furrowed her brow and her eyes widened. "Wh-…"

But Jane was already standing next to the bed. She pulled a sweater over hear head, put on a pair of boxers and grabbed her gun from the nightstand. She heard her wife following her as quietly as possible as she walked down the stairs to see where the sound came from.

She walked around the corner pointing her gun towards the front door.

"Jesus, Jane!"

"Rachel?" Jane lowered her gun when she saw her teenager standing in front of the door, her hand covering her heart.

"You almost gave me a heart attack! Were you planning on shooting me?"

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" Maura tied her robe tighter around herself while Jane put her gun away.

Getting over the initial shock, Rachel lowered her hand and dropped her shoulders.

"What's going on?" Jane asked softly, noticing that she didn't bring much stuff and she looked exhausted. "Did you drive here all the way by yourself? At this time of night?"

Rachel shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Rach…"

"I just missed you, okay?!" Rachel lifted her hands and groaned when tears appeared in her eyes. "I just-… I-…"

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and was at Rachel's side in a split second, wrapping her arms around the now crying girl. She felt Rachel's arms wrapping around her neck as she hid herself against her shoulder and cried softly.

"I'm m-messing it all up, Jane," Rachel whispered. "The classes are way too hard and I keep walking the wrong way in the wrong building and people are laughing at me and-… A-and today I was just done and," she let out a quiet sob and clutched herself tighter to the taller woman, "and I grabbed my phone and called D-Dad but the line stayed quiet and it took me like ten seconds before I realized I can't call him anymore-…" Her tears cut her off and she cried against her foster mother, completely overwhelmed and exhausted.

Jane didn't know what to say. She was at loss for words and just hugged her oldest daughter in her arms while she kissed the side of her head.

Maura watched them with her hand over her heart, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Sweetheart…"

"I can't do college! I'm just coming back here." Rachel sobbed and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "I'll work at the garage or something, I don't care. I'm not smart enough for college."

"Hey." Jane pulled back and cupped Rachel's cheek with her left hand, using her thumb to wipe her tears. "Don't you doubt yourself, for one second! You didn't get in there for no reason!"

Rachel sniffled and shook her head. "Because of your money."

"Our money didn't do anything to facilitate you getting into that school, Rachel." Maura walked up to them and stood next to them. "We simple arranged a scholarship because you deserve it. Because I _know_ you're smart enough."

"I don't know, Maura." Rachel shook her head, her voice soft and vulnerable.

"I do." Maura smiled and gently smoothed the girl's hair. "I know you are more than intelligent enough and I know how brave you are, how sweet and kind you are and I know you will be great in college."

"You just need some time to get used to this new world," Jane said softly. "I've never been to college but I know things like this just need time."

Rachel nodded weakly but didn't seem convinced. She had been talking to them on the phone a few times that week and Jane knew she was tired but she had no idea this emotional breakdown was bound to happen.

"I just never expected to miss you guys this much," Rachel whispered.

Jane smiled. She felt bad for the girl but a part of her felt happy to know she missed them. "We've been missing you too, honey." Jane wiped a tear from Rachel's cheek. "Maura's been crying like, ten times when she passed your room."

"Really?" Rachel chuckled through her tears.

"No! Well, maybe once or twice." Maura shook her head. "The house has just been quiet without you. And yes, I do miss you." She cupped Rachel's cheek and gently wiped a tear with her thumb.

"I know I said I was fine and I really was-…" Rachel sighed and averted her gaze, looking down at her feet. "But I just miss home." She shrugged. "And I had a fight with Maggie and that sucked so it got me all down."

"What happened?" Jane rubbed her hand up and down Rachel's back, feeling the girl leaning against her side. Maggie was a good friend of Rachel's and it wasn't like them to get into a fight.

"Just stupid stuff."

"Hm. So you decided to drive all the way up to Boston…"

Rachel blushed and shook her head. "Stupid, I know." She sighed and furrowed her brow, brushing her hand through her own hair. "I think I'll go, if I leave now I'll make it back by-…"

"Are you out of your mind?" Maura said, putting her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "You're not driving all the way back in the middle of the night and besides," she smiled slightly and tilted her head, "I just got you back," she said softly, wrapping her arms around the slightly taller teenager. "Let me just enjoy the fact that all my girls are back home again for a minute, okay?"

Rachel chuckled and rolled her eyes but she accepted the embrace and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. "Guess I'll stay a little longer, then."

"Please do." Maura pulled back and caressed Rachel's cheek with a smile. "You want something to drink?"

"Yeah." Rachel shrugged off her coat and threw it over a chair, eliciting a chuckle from Jane. The chairs had been way too empty lately.

She told them everything about her first week in college. The classes were fine although a few were very difficult, she made a few friends and she generally had a great time. It wasn't until at night when she was alone in bed, thinking about life and everything else. The pain of missing her father and her new life overwhelmed her and she craved the easiness of living at home, the comfort of her foster mothers and her little sister. Everything just overwhelmed her, it got too much and she fled home.

When things really did get late, or rather early, Jane told Rachel to go to bed and took Maura's hand to drag her back upstairs, feeling so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open. She groaned when she let herself fall on the bed, pulling her wife next to her and snuggling up against her back. "She's a good girl, Maur," she mumbled.

"She is." Maura smiled and pulled Jane closer against her. "Our girl."

"Hmm." Jane hummed and was already halfway asleep.

The next morning, their bedroom door opened slowly and a mess of black curls appeared. "Mama?" Lily called out softly.

Jane groaned and opened her eyes, seeing her youngest daughter standing next to their bed with bare feet, wearing a pair of blue pajamas. "Hm, hi baby," she mumbled sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream," Lily answered softly, her bottom lip quivering.

Jane hummed, starting to be more awake while she lifted the blankets and invited her daughter in. Lily climbed in next to her mother and snuggled into her chest, her legs and feet cold as stone. "What was it about?"

"Bad guys trying to get me."

Jane pulled her daughter close against her and kissed the top of her head. "Good thing your Mama's a cop who catches all the bad guys so no one can get you."

Lily smiled. "Yeah. But in my dream the bad guy got you and Mommy too." Her smile fell and she shivered against her mother. "That was the scariest part," she whispered. "I was all alone suddenly."

Jane hummed, knowing very well how nightmares could leave you scared, exhausted and drowning in tears. "We're here, baby," she whispered. "Mommy and I are both here, you're not alone."

"I know." Lily nodded against Jane's chest. "I just wanted to see for myself for a sec."

Jane chuckled softly and brushed her hand through Lily's curls. "Now you know."

After a short moment of silence, the door opened again and Morgan appeared. "Mom-… Jane? Maura?" she corrected herself.

"Hmm?" Maura woke up, slowly opening her eyes and lifting her head. "Hm?"

"Why's Rachel's car outside? Is Rachel here? That's her car, right?" she asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Yes, Rachel's here," Maura replied with a sleepy voice.

"Really?" Morgan's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide as she smiled brightly. "Rachel! RACHEL!"

She was about to run out of the room but Jane stopped her. "Morgan!"

"What?"

"Let her sleep, baby," Jane said softly. "It got very late last night."

Morgan pouted and dropped her shoulders but Maura sighed and lifted the blankets for her like Jane did for Lily, inviting her in the bed as well. "She'll be excited to see you when she wakes up," Maura said, kissing the top of Morgan's head when the girl climbed in next to the blonde. "She missed you."

"I missed her too." Morgan smiled. "Why'd she come back?"

"Because she missed us."

Morgan chuckled and shook her head. "What a baby."

"Oh!" Maura pinched her side, eliciting a giggle from the girl.

It only took a few more second for the door to open again and for Rachel to walk in, wearing a tired smile on her face. "I heard my name?"

"Rachel!" Morgan jumped off the bed and ran into her sister, her skinny arms wrapping around the teenager.

"Hi, sis." Rachel smirked and hugged her sister back.

"What's it like at college? Are the classes boring? Is everyone nice to you? Do they have better food? Are the sandwiches really that good?"

Rachel laughed and sat down at the foot of the bed in between Jane and Maura. "It's cool at college. The classes are okay, just philosophy and English is mind-blowingly boring, people are pretty nice except for some older guys, the food is okay and yes, the sandwiches are AMAZING."

"You should've brought me one!"

"Sorry, I was kind of in a hurry." Rachel shrugged and Jane sat up against the headboard, taking Lily in her lap, kissing the back of her head as the girl snuggled back against her front just like she did when she was little.

Maura smiled as well and sat up next to her wife, squeezing her hand in hers. "Now it's just a matter of seconds before Anna-…" She couldn't even finish her sentence as the beautiful blond girl walked into the room, raising her eyebrows at the bed filled with people.

Maura chuckled and opened her arms. "Apparently we're having a family meeting in bed this morning." 

Anna shrugged and sat next to her mother, leaning into Maura's side. "Cool."

Meanwhile, Morgan had crawled towards the middle of the bed and was bouncing on her knees to hear everything about Rachel's days in college and Rachel was telling every detail about the delicious sandwiches in her school. The happy sparkle in her blue eyes was back. Her beautiful smile was back and she genuinely had an amazing time at college, even though she missed her family. College was her place. And as long as she could go back home for some hugs and laughs every now and then, she would be just fine.

 _A/N Some family time before we go on with Amelia and her custody battle. Thank you all for following me to the sequel and your kind reviews! It means a lot to me that you are still with me for this. Let me know what else you'd like to read; I'm always looking for suggestions!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Okay, I really gotta go now." Rachel adjusted her bag on her shoulder and untangled herself from her younger sister. "Listen," she lifted Morgan's chin and looked into her eyes, "don't let that stupid lady get to you, alright? Maura and Jane's lawyers are way better and she's just dumb."

Morgan nodded and smiled slightly. She knew all this. But she still worried, Maura knew. "Yeah."

Rachel squeezed Morgan's arm and looked at Maura before giving her a hug, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck. "Don't let her take Morgan, okay?"

"I won't even think about it." Maura smiled and kissed the side of Rachel's head before letting her go. "She's not going anywhere."

"Good." Rachel nodded and moved to ruffle Anna's hair as a way of saying goodbye before moving to hug Jane.

"Bye, Rach." Jane chuckled and squeezed the girl to her front before patting her back. "Now go, before you miss any more classes."

"Where's Lily?"

"In the shower."

"BYE LILY!"

"BYE!" Lily's voice sounded quiet as she yelled from upstairs.

Rachel chuckled and placed a kiss on top of Morgan's head. "Sorry again for stopping by so suddenly."

"Don't worry about it." Maura smiled and felt Morgan standing in front of her while she wrapped her arms around the girl's chest from behind. "You'll be great in school."

Rachel smiled and opened the door. "Yeah. Bye!"

"I love you, bye!" They watched Rachel leaving and Morgan sighed deeply before turning to lean sideways into Maura's front.

Maura brushed her hand through the girl's dark hair, kissing her head that rested on her chest. "She'll be okay, sweetheart," she said softly.

Morgan hummed and nodded against her foster mother but the way she took a deep breath betrayed the sadness that washed over her. "I'm gonna miss her."

"I know, baby."

"I wish college was closer so we could visit her easily. It's such a long drive!" Morgan pouted and wrapped her skinny arm around her foster mother.

"It is." Maura smiled and rubbed Morgan's back, feeling her bones sticking out under her skin. She had been giving the girl as much carbs and protein as possible, knowing she needed to gain weight. She sighed. Morgan was too skinny.

"What?" Morgan sensed a change in her mother and looked up with her brow furrowed.

Maura shook her head and smiled slightly. "You need to gain weight, baby."

"Why?"

"Because you are underweight."

"The other day you said I was so pretty!"

"You are! Just a few more pounds over these bones," Maura placed her hands on Morgan's sides, feeling her ribs sticking out, "will be good for your health."

Morgan snorted and snuggled back in her mother's arms. "Then I should just eat French fries every day."

"Oh, no." Maura shook her head. "You need your nutrients. No fries." She kissed the top of Morgan's head and pulled her closer. "My beautiful little girl."

Morgan smiled slightly and sighed deeply as she hid herself in her mother's warm embrace. "Mom?"

Maura smiled at the lovely sound of the word 'mom' coming from the young girl. "Yes?"

"That stupid lady can't get to me, right?" she asked softly for the hundredth time.

"No, honey. We'll do everything in our power to keep you here. Everything."

Morgan nodded against Maura's chest and as if the universe heard the question, an envelope landed on the doormat. Lily went to grab it and held it up to read it. "Mommies? This letter is for you guys."

Jane hummed and took the envelope from the little girl, opening it with her brow furrowed. Her brow furrowed further when she read it and Maura saw an alarming amount of concern in her wife's dark eyes. She sighed and shook her head.

"What is it?" Maura untangled herself from Morgan and looked at her wife.

"She sued us."

"What? How?" Maura took the letter from Jane, quickly reading the words that made her heart beat faster. "This-… This won't stand a chance."

"Maur, she's saying we unlawfully _took_ Morgan and Rachel. She demands custody."

"This doesn't mention the fact that she was in Japan for years before we took them in! It doesn't mention the fact that her existence wasn't even in any of the files we got when we filed the reports for fostering them."

"But it does mention we didn't look further than the reports we received from her social worker, and that that specific social worker lost his job a few months after closing our file because he didn't do his work!" Jane pointed at a few lines in the long letter.

"Where-…" Maura looked at the part Jane pointed out and she felt a knot tying in her stomach. "Oh."

"They're calling the decision to put Morgan with us a loophole that caused a big mistake in the foster system," Jane motioned her finger further along the letter. "She even calls us incapable. She says Rachel is too young to have custody even though she is eighteen…"

Maura rubbed her forehead and reread that part. According to the accusation, the fact that both women had full time, demanding jobs, caused an incapability in taking care of a growing teenager. However, it failed to mention the fact they already had two other children that were growing up beautifully and having no problem with their mothers' demanding jobs. Maura decided to ignore the part where the homosexuality theme got described, explaining that Morgan came from a religious family and that religion should be respected.

"Maura?" Morgan's voice sounded worried and she looked at them with wide eyes. "Jane? What's going on?"

Jane sighed and shook her head. "This woman wants custody over you but we're not gonna let her."

Morgan's eyes widened further and she gasped softly. "No! No, why does she want me? I don't understand!"

"Honey, I'm going to have a talk with my lawyer and fix all of this." Maura walked towards the kitchen to grab her phone from the counter, brushing Morgan's hair back while she passed her. "You're not going anywhere."

Morgan nodded but Maura saw the concern growing in her blue eyes. She called her lawyer to inform him on the whole situation and after a long talk, they agreed on a meeting to determine their strategy. She paced through the bedroom while she talked, looking out of the window to see the sun shining, the sky blue above the backyard where Lily was running around for no apparent reason.

After a few more moments of complicated talk, Jane appeared in the doorway, looking at her wife with her brow furrowed in concern. Maura smiled a small smile and continued the conversation before confirming the day of their meeting and hung up the phone. She sighed deeply and sat down on the foot of the bed.

"And…?"

Maura looked up at her wife. "He's confident."

Jane nodded and sat down next to the blonde, her hands fumbling nervously.

Maura gently took her wife's hands in hers to massage her palms, brushing her fingers over the scars there.

"We can't lose her, Maura," Jane whispered, her gaze focused on their intertwined hands. "I can't lose that little girl."

"We won't." Maura leaned closer towards her wife and pressed her lips against her cheek, placing a few kisses on her cheekbone before wrapping her arms around the brunette and hiding herself in the crook of neck. "We won't lose her. The universe is not that cruel."

Jane's long arms wrapped around her wife and she pulled herself impossibly closer against her.

"I love that beautiful sweetheart with all I have and I wouldn't even know how to handle losing one of my children."

"We won't lose her," Jane repeated softly, her voice surprisingly hoarse.

Maura nodded and managed a small smile leaning in to kiss her wife until the sound of footsteps announced the arrival of one of the kids. Maura looked up and saw Anna in the doorway.

"Morgan is crying," she said softly, her expression dropping as she fumbled with her blouse. "I can't get her to calm down."

"I'll go." Maura sighed and stood up from the bed, placing a kiss on top of Anna's head before heading downstairs to comfort their crying daughter.

Jane looked at Anna and saw unshed tears shimmering in her grey eyes. "C'mere, peanut," she said softly while she opened her arms for the young girl.

Anna smiled sadly and sat down next to her mother, gratefully burying herself in strong arms. "You haven't called me peanut in a long time," she whispered.

Jane chuckled. "Well, you're still my peanut."

Anna nodded and took a deep breath before wiping a tear that fell down her cheek. "Mama?"

"Hm?"

"You're worried, aren't you?" she whispered, her voice laced with concern. She lifted her head from Jane's chest and looked at her mother. "She smarter than you thought, isn't she?"

Jane sighed. There was no use in denying it, Anna was too smart. "Yeah. The case is more solid than we thought but Mom just called her lawyer and he's confident Amelia will lose."

Anna nodded slowly and her brow furrowed in thought. "Morgan can't go to New York, Ma," she said quietly. "That's way too far away. And she's gonna be really unhappy with that lady."

"She's not going to New York." Jane pulled her daughter back to her chest and kissed the side of her head. "She's going to stay with us, where she belongs."

"Yeah." Anna nodded in agreement. "I like having three sisters."

Jane smiled while she rubbed her hand up and down Anna's back. "I like having four children."

"Well, one of them is away at college so at home you only have three."

"That's true, but in my heart I have four."

Anna chuckled softly and snuggled into her mother's side. "Big heart."

"You have no idea." Jane pulled her beautiful girl impossibly closer. "We're gonna be okay, baby. We'll do anything to keep Morgan in our family."

Anna nodded and sighed contently while she put her feet up on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest while she leaned against Jane's side.

"How was school?"

Anna shrugged. "Fine."

"How'd you do on that English test?"

"I think I did pretty good, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Just-…" she sighed and stopped talking. "Never mind. It was fine."

"What is it?"

Anna took a deep breath and shook her head. "Just the kids in the back are always being stupid. But it's okay, I know how to ignore them."

Jane sighed and felt anger burning in the pit of her stomach. She knew a few kids were always teasing Anna. She didn't know why, but she knew they made fun of her. She was smarter and prettier than all of them but they still targeted her. The fact that she was smart and pretty was probably the reason they made fun of her. They pulled her down to feel better about themselves and even though Jane was proud of her daughter for ignoring them and taking the high road, she hated those kids with all she had. "What did they say?" Jane asked softly.

Anna shrugged. "Just that I was probably gonna get an A+, because I'm such a nerd and stuff. But they're just mad because they can't get above a C or something. Especially Vicky, she always gets D's." She sighed and let out a sad chuckle. "She's the worst, she puts the guys up to it. She's always whispering behind my back and stuff. And as soon as I turn around, she stops and smiles that stupid smile of hers. Morgan always calls her bracefrizz, because of her braces and frizzy hair."

Jane knew she should tell her that wasn't a nice thing to call anyone but she couldn't bring herself to it. Anyone that made fun of Anna deserved to be called names. Bracefrizz didn't even do the trick in Jane's opinion. "She probably can't help that she has braces and frizzy hair, baby," Jane whispered in sharp contrast to what she was thinking. "But she can help how she treats people and if she treats you badly, she's a bad person."

Anna nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"They're just jealous, peanut. They know you're the smartest in your class and they see how pretty you are and they don't even come close to you."

"I don't even want to be pretty!" Anna groaned and snuggled herself into Jane's chest. "I don't care about that!"

Jane chuckled. "You are, baby. Nothing you can do about that." Jane smiled when she looked at her daughter on her chest, looking at the freckles on her nose, her sparkling grey eyes, her porcelain skin and light blond hair. She was a sight. "Life will be easier when you're pretty," Jane whispered, knowing how much she had to endure as a child with wild curls, crooked teeth and long limbs. "No matter how unfair it is, that's usually the way it works."

Anna sighed deeply and nodded slowly. "I hope so." She rested her head on Jane's chest and fumbled with the hem of Jane's T-shirt.

Jane pulled her as close as she could, thinking about how much Anna had grown in the past ten years. The decision to adopt this little girl was the single best decision they ever made.

"Mama?"

"Yeah?"

"You're going to adopt Rachel and Morgan, right?"

"Yeah, we're working on that."

Anna nodded. "Good. Then that lady can't do anything any longer."

"That's right." Jane kissed the top of Anna's head. She couldn't wait to adopt those girls. She loved them with all she had and she just wanted it to be official.

"Mama!" The sound of Lily's voice interrupted their moment and she walked into the room but stopped when she saw Anna and Jane in their embrace. "Oh."

"What's up?" Jane smiled at her youngest daughter.

"I uhm… I wanna play baseball but you're busy so…"

"It's okay," Anna said, "I'm gonna go finish my book anyway." She untangled herself from her mother and stood up from the bed before Jane pulled her back down.

"Hold on, peanut." She chuckled and cupped her face, pressing her lips against the girl's forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too," Anna smiled before straightening her back.

"Mush mush mush!" Lily giggled and playfully slapped Anna's arm before pulling Jane up from the bed.

Anna jumped away from her sister with a smile and hurried towards her room to get one of her many books. Jane took Lily's hand in hers, smiling as she watched her messy curls bouncing on her back.

"So, baseball?" Jane asked as she hurried after her daughter down the stairs.

"Yep. Or soccer, whatever." She looked up at her mother while she took her outside towards the backyard, immediately speeding off to get the first ball that she found.

"You sure have a lot of energy." Jane chuckled and caught the ball Lily threw towards her with force. She had a strong arm.

"Yeah, everyone is crying and worrying and stuff." Lily shrugged and ran towards her mother to get the ball back. "But I don't feel like crying."

Jane chuckled and dropped the soccer ball, skillfully kicking it away from her fast little girl. "You need a different outlet."

"Something like that, yeah," Lily replied absentmindedly while she kicked the ball back. "Morgan's not gonna go to New York, so I'm not so worried."

"No?" Jane maneuvered herself around Lily with the ball. "How do you know?"

"C'mon! You're a cop, and Mom is like, the boss and that Isles thing has a crazy lot of money." Lily shrugged and ran away after she took the ball. "That lady's stupid for trying!" she called from the other side of the backyard. "She has no idea who she's dealing with!"

"That's right." Jane chuckled and ran after her daughter, happy for an outlet herself. A part of her worries faded away in the late summer sun as she engaged in a playful fight over the ball with her fierce little girl. They would be fine. Yes, Amelia had a stronger case than they expected but she was up against Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles. And Jane and Maura didn't allow anyone to mess around with their children.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N This was a hard one to write, I have to admit. I wanted it to be climactic with a little tension but I don't know if I succeeded. Anyway, this chapter offers the outcome of the Amelia case. I hope I did the story justice. Thank you all for your kind reviews! Let me know what you think. (:_

Chapter 5

Everyone was dressed in their best outfits. Even Jane wore a fancy blouse instead of her usual pantsuit and Rachel had traded her jeans for a black dress. Jane didn't want to bring the kids but they insisted and there was no way of leaving them at home, so they all came along.

Amelia did have a strong case and her lawyers were better than they expected. She claimed the social worker was incompetent and his decision to put Morgan with the Rizzoli-Isles family should be retracted. She found a school for Morgan and even found a soccer team that was supposedly better than any of the teams in Boston. But the worst part was coming up. Jane balled her fists as she sat on the uncomfortable bench and watched Amelia's lawyer talking about his case.

"Your honor, I would like to point out that the Matthews family is religious and has a strong belief in God and the Bible. Homosexual parents definitely don't fit into their ideals and I'm sure that if Craig Matthews was still with us, he would have disagreed with this turn of events."

"That's bullshit!" Rachel whispered next to Jane.

"Shh," Jane squeezed her knee and shook her head. "I know, and so does the judge." She balled her fists and listened to the rest of the lawyer's statement. It was good. But not nearly as good as Maura's lawyer.

After an excruciating time in the courtroom, they were allowed to leave while the judge talked to Morgan. They gave the girl a few kisses and told her to just be honest and speak from her heart before heading out for another long wait.

It took a long time and Jane couldn't stop pacing through the big white hallway, thinking about Morgan in that courtroom. Jane's stomach was hurting. Today was the day their life would be determined. Today was the day either Amelia or they would get custody over Morgan. Today was the day they would either keep or lose one of their children and that killed Jane. Custody over Rachel wasn't up for a fight, she was eighteen and living at college. But there was a possibility of losing Morgan and even that possibility made Jane's stomach hurt.

After Morgan finished her statement, the family was allowed back in to wait for the judge's order. It was the longest wait of Jane's life. Lily kept squirming in her seat because she didn't understand half of the things that were going on, Anna was trying to take care of everyone around her but incredibly anxious herself, Rachel kept pacing and fumbling with anything within reach and Morgan was silently suffering from stomach aches, panic attacks and uncertainty. Maura kept herself composed but Jane knew she was dying inside. She knew how special the connection between her and Morgan was and she knew her wife was suffering. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted to know. Whatever it was, she wanted to know. She wanted to know if she had to keep fighting or be happy.

Finally, after what felt like days of their lives, the judge came back and sat back in her seat. She was an older woman with kind wrinkles around her eyes, but her mouth was a sharp stripe.

Everyone stood up and Jane wrapped her arms around Morgan's chest from behind, pulling the girl in between her foster mothers while Maura's arm wrapped around Jane's waist and her other hand caressed Morgan's cheek.

Amelia stood up as well. She wore a black skirt and blouse and her lipstick was bright red and she looked ready to fight.

"Mrs. Rizzoli, Mrs. Isles. Ms. Matthews." The judge nodded at the women in the room. She said a few mandatory words before the final verdict finally came. "…and so I grant full custody to the Rizzoli-Isles family. Case dismissed."

"No!" Amelia balled her fists and walked away from her seat. "No!"

"Ms. Matthews, may I ask you to escort yourself out, please."

Maura didn't even hear it. She was too busy trying to keep standing while Morgan jumped into her arms, wrapping her skinny arms around Maura's neck as she squeezed as hard as she could. Maura pulled her close and kissed her, feeling like a giant weight had been lifted off her chest. She was theirs. She would stay.

"I told you you're not going anywhere," Jane said softly while she kissed Morgan's temple. "You belong with us."

Morgan nodded and happy tears started trickling down her cheeks. Maura wiped them with the back of her hand but she couldn't keep her own tears at bay, letting out an involuntary sob after holding back her emotions all day. A flood of relief washed over her and she pulled her daughter as close as she possibly could. "I love you so much, my sweet girl," she whispered through her tears. "So, so much."

"I love you too, Mom," Morgan whispered before untangling herself to wrap one of her arms around Jane's neck. "You too, Ma."

Jane swallowed her tears and kissed the girl's forehead. "I love you too, baby."

"Anna!" Morgan jumped back on the floor and hurried towards her best friend and sister who was smiling happily and jumped towards her to wrap her arms around her.

"Mrs. Isles? Rizzoli?" The judge walked towards them, holding a file in her hand.

"Yes?" Maura wiped her tears and smiled at the older woman.

"Thank you," Jane whispered through the tears she tried to hold back. "Thank you so much."

The judge shrugged and tilted her head. "I'm just doing my job, Detective." She opened the file and put it on the table in front of them.

"What are those?" Maura asked, taking Jane's hand in hers while they looked at the papers.

"Adoption papers." The judge took a pen out of her robe and put it on the table. "I thought you'd like to speed this process up a bit."

Fresh tears sprung to Maura's eyes as she nodded her head. "God, yes," she whispered, trying and failing to stay professional. She had seen these papers many times. It was just a matter of signing them and getting them approved by the legal system.

She couldn't wait to sign them. They were about Rachel and Morgan and she signed as fast as she could before Jane did the same. Those signatures were a symbol of the love they felt for the girls that came into their lives with so much pain and angst, those girls they had grown to love more than they ever expected. When they finished, the judge took them back to get approved and Maura looked up at her wife, gently cupping her cheek and looking into her dark eyes.

"Finally," Jane whispered with tears in her eyes.

"Finally." Maura smiled and leaned forward to place a light kiss on her wife's lips. "They're ours."

"What's that?" Anna walked up to them with a curious look in her eyes.

"That was an adoption." Jane smiled brightly and tucked a strand of hair behind Anna's ear. "Rachel and Morgan are now officially adopted."

"Really?" Anna's mouth fell open and turned into an exciting smile. "Morgan!"

"What?"

"You're adopted!"

Morgan gasped. Her eyes widened before she ran towards the women and almost knocked them over as she wrapped her arms around them. Maura felt Jane lifting the short girl up in her arms in between them while she covered her cheek in kisses. "You're finally my real moms?" Morgan asked softly.

"Yes, we are." Maura smiled a bright smile and kissed Morgan's forehead. "Finally."

"So… Moms?" Rachel walked towards them, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Maura laughed and nodded her head before wrapping her arms around the teenager, pulling her in for a tight hug. Rachel wrapped her own arms around Maura's neck and smiled happily. "Thank you," she whispered. "For fighting for Morgan. And for adopting us."

"Of course." Maura pulled back and gently cupped Rachel's cheek to kiss her forehead. "I love you, honey," she whispered. "My daughter."

Rachel chuckled and shook her head. "I love you too, Mom."

They broke the embrace when it was time to leave the courthouse. Maura felt Morgan taking her hand and smiled when she saw the content smile on her daughter's face. Her official daughter. Her other hand was taken by Lily who hopped along next to her. When they arrived at the car, Maura's heart skipped a beat when she saw Amelia walking towards them.

"Go on, get in the car, baby," she said to Morgan, gently pushing her to get in the backseat. She didn't want her children to face this woman again.

She braced herself to face Amelia when she saw the look on the classy woman's face. Jane stood next to her and Rachel behind them, the rest of the girls already in the car. "What do you want?" Jane asked in an aggressive tone.

"Her." Amelia pointed at Morgan in the car.

"Why?" Maura asked softly. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to know why she did this to them. "Why did you do this?"

Amelia shrugged. "I do what I do for family."

"Family? That's the only reason?"

"Y-yes." Amelia stuttered and that startled the women. She was confident, not someone that stuttered.

Suddenly Jane's attitude changed and she lifted her chin. "It's her, isn't it?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous. "Janet? She put you up to this, didn't she?"

Amelia's eyes went wide for a split second before she composed herself and shook her head. "I don't know where you get these crazy ideas."

"Damnit!" Jane spit out and stepped closer towards Amelia. "Why, Amelia? Why would you do this to us? For her? She's a lost case!"

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO SHE IS!"

The hysteria in Amelia's voice startled everyone and Maura felt Rachel grabbing her arm in fear while the girls in the car looked at them through the window. Jane stepped back and shook her head. "Don't you see it, Amelia? Janet's life is over. She has no rights whatsoever to these girls and neither do you."

"She'll get them back." Amelia nodded her head but Maura saw her hands shaking. Her confidence was falling.

"She won't. We signed the adoption papers just a few minutes ago. It's over." Jane slowly walked closer towards the woman, her Detective Rizzoli-mode taking over. "She has to know she lost them forever. She did that herself."

"No." Amelia shook her head and the shaking intensified. "No. Alcohol did. It wasn't her."

"She was sober."

Amelia looked into Jane's eyes and seemed shocked for a moment. "No."

"She was." Jane nodded, not looking away from the woman. "I know she was. She hurt her husband on purpose, fully sober, fully intentional."

Janet seemed to have told Amelia many lies that were now being shattered by Jane's words but she wouldn't believe it. "You don't know what she's capable of," she whispered.

"Are you even her real family?"

She nodded. "Yes. I didn't lie about that."

"Did she threaten you?"

Amelia didn't answer. She just stared at the detective in front of her.

"Did she?"

Again, no answer.

"You should be careful, Amelia," Jane said, her voice husky and low. "You shouldn't engage with people like Janet and you sure shouldn't mess with people like us."

Amelia blinked a few times, like Jane's words didn't have any effect on her.

"You have to stay away from her and us." Jane looked intently at the woman. "Far away. Got it?"

Amelia's arrogant posture seemed to take over in less than a second. She lifted her chin and whipped her head to get a strand of hair out of her face. "We'll see." She turned around and left them baffled.

"It was my mother," Rachel whispered, staring at her feet. "Again."

Maura rubbed Rachel's back, hoping to comfort her but she already saw anger burning in her eyes.

"That woman needs to die!" Rachel growled and balled her fists. "She keeps hurting us! I-… I don't-…"

"It's over, honey," Jane said softly, cupping Rachel's face to make her look at her, her Detective-mode making place for the mother she was. "We now know of this connection, so we'll keep an eye on them. We adopted you and this case is off the table. It's over."

"It was her." Rachel had tears in her eyes and she shook her head. "I should've known."

"None of us knew, Rach. Don't beat yourself up about this."

"Yeah." She sighed and managed a small smile. "Yeah, I guess."

"Come on, sweetheart," Maura whispered, "let's go home."

Back home, Angela was waiting with freshly baked cookies and drinks. She was of course ecstatic about the news and hugged Rachel and Morgan so hard they could barely breathe. They all sat in the living room where Rachel shared her stories about college with Angela, Anna read a book curled up in one of the chairs and Lily squirmed around in whatever seat she was in.

Maura sat down on the couch and looked around for Morgan before seeing her walking towards her with a sweet smile on her face. Maura opened her arms and pulled her next to her, feeling Morgan's head resting on her shoulder as she snuggled into her side.

"I still don't get how my mother did all this," she said softly. "And I also don't get why. She doesn't even want us."

Maura sighed and rubbed her hand up and down Morgan's back. "I don't understand either, baby."

"Kinda sad, don't you think? I don't think our mom ever wanted us."

"I don't know." Maura gently tucked a strand of short dark hair behind Morgan's ear and kissed her temple. "She might have wanted you in the beginning."

"Then what changed?" Morgan furrowed her brow. "Did we do something wrong?"

"No, honey. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Our own mother didn't want us. She just got tired of us, I guess. There must have been something wrong."

"With her, yes." Maura pulled back and cupped Morgan's cheek to look into her blue eyes. "There's nothing wrong with you. Or Rachel."

Morgan smiled a small smile but it seemed to sting her that her mother gave them up like that. No one understood why Janet did this. Did she want her children back? Probably not. It was probably just about controlling them. Why? Maura didn't know. All she knew was that these beautiful girls were now her daughters and she couldn't be happier.

"Are you ever gonna get tired of us?" Morgan whispered, her voice small and vulnerable.

"No, sweetheart." Maura gently took Morgan into her lap and brushed her hair back before pulling her to her chest. "Never. We signed those papers today for a reason. That's a final commitment."

"My mother made a commitment when she got pregnant and she got tired of us too."

"Morgan." Maura pulled back to look at the short girl in her lap. "Listen to me. Your mother has mental problems. Jane and I don't and I'm a bit offended that you think less of us."

Morgan lowered her gaze and fumbled with her dress.

"When we tell you we love you, do you think we're lying? Do you think we don't mean it?"

"No." Tears welled up in Morgan's eyes and she shook her head.

"Don't you think we thought our decision through? Don't you think we made a very conscious decision in signing those adoption papers?"

Morgan sniffled. "No, I-…"

"We're your mothers and you're our daughter, that means I love you and I'll never stop loving you. You don't have to doubt that, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry." Morgan wiped a tear from her cheek and hid herself back in Maura's arms.

Maura shook her head and regretted her harsh tone. "Don't be sorry," she whispered. "I'll tell you over and over again if you need me to."

"At least now you're stuck with me," Morgan said with a slight chuckle.

"We are." Maura laughed and rested her chin on top of Morgan's head. "For such a long time too! It'll be years before you finally go to college!"

Morgan giggled. "You can't even handle Rachel in college."

"I'm doing better!" Maura chuckled when she looked over Morgan's head at Rachel who was sitting in a chair, talking about a funny thing her English teacher said in school. She would have to go back to college that afternoon and Maura dreaded saying goodbye. She loved having the teenager around and she wanted to celebrate their adoption a little longer but after a few hours it really was time to say goodbye.

"Try your best in school," Maura said while she handed Rachel her bag. "Please, drive carefully. Take at least two breaks, I don't want you driving all the way at once. The next time I'll really buy you a plane ticket."

"Yeah yeah." Rachel rolled her eyes but smiled when she gave her mother a sweet hug. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, honey." Maura smiled lovingly and brushed Rachel's dark hair back before watching her wrapping her arms around Jane.

"Bye, Ma." She kissed Jane's cheek, said her goodbyes to the rest of the family and left the house, leaving them standing staring at the closed front door just like they did a few weeks ago. Except this time, things had changed. Amelia was gone, the case was closed. Jane and Maura had two more daughters, two beautiful girls they loved with all their hearts. The anxiety and fear of the case was over.

Maura looked around the room and a loving smile curled her lips. Lily was jumping around Jane to try and get her mother to play a game with her, Anna was engrossed in her book, her brow furrowed while she fumbled with a strand of her hair, and Morgan was starting to support Lily in convincing Jane. Her girls were gorgeous. Lily with her dark curls and equally dark eyes, Anna with her long blond locks and tiny freckled nose and then Morgan with her tiny posture and short, dark hair. But what Maura loved the most was their beautiful souls. Lily with her lifting spirit and never-ending excitement, Anna with her caring nature and intelligence and Morgan with her resilience and strength. Their cheerful voices sounded through the room, being answered by Jane's husky voice who finally agreed to the game. Lily cheered and pulled her mother towards the backyard, eliciting a chuckle from Maura. Her family was complete.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Mama, Mama!" Lily ran into the BPD office, Maura walking behind her with a sweet smile on her face.

"Hey, kiddo!" Jane chuckled and turned in her chair to open her arms for her little girl. "What are you doing here?"

Lily buried herself in her mother's arms. "Mom said we could visit."

"Isn't she sweet." Jane winked at her wife and pursed her lips, silently asking for a kiss which Maura happily gave her. "Hi."

"Hi." Maura smiled lovingly and pecked her lips again before sitting down on the edge of her wife's desk. "Any news?"

Jane sighed and pulled Lily into her lap. "No." She looked at her screen that was currently filled with bank information. "We're in over our heads."

"You'll get it." Maura squeezed Jane's leg and smiled when she watched Lily squirming in her mother's lap.

"Mama, I made you something." She reached out her hand towards Maura to ask for her backpack. She pulled out a rolled up piece of paper and handed it to Jane who unfolded it.

"Is this supposed to be me?" Jane chuckled when she looked at a drawing of a stick figure with messy dark curls and a red cape.

"Yep!" Lily grinned proudly and leaned back into Jane's front. "We talked about heroes in class. Y'know, firefighters and doctors that save lives. And I told everyone that Mom's a doctor and Mama's a cop, so both my parents are heroes."

"Except that I don't save lives," Maura said with a slight chuckle.

"You did a few times!" Lily straightened her back. "Mama told me."

"Well, yes. But it's not my expertise."

"Whatever." Lily shrugged and turned her attention back to the drawing, probably not hearing her mother. Ever since she got meningitis and lost a big part of her hearing, she sometimes missed part of conversations. But she managed and continued anyway. "I only had time to draw Mama though, 'cause then class was over. But see," she pointed at the side of the figure, "I even made your handcuffs!"

Jane smiled and kissed the back of Lily's head. "It's beautiful, baby. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lily smiled contently and put the drawing on Jane's desk before leaning back in her arms. "We also have to write about who is our hero and why, and I'm writing about you and Mom."

"You are?" Maura's eyes went wide for a moment and her lips curled up into a happy smile.

"Yeah. Because Mommy's a doctor and Mama's a detective but also because you saved Rachel and Morgan and you adopted Anna when she was all alone." She shrugged her shoulders. "You just got me, but I think it's really brave that you picked the others."

"We didn't just get you, baby," Jane said softly. "We chose to get pregnant, you were just as much a choice as everyone else."

"Yeah but I mean you didn't get to pick me. I just was in your belly, right Mom?"

"Yes, you were."

"And then I got out and I was here." Lily shrugged again and put her smaller hands on Jane's big ones on her stomach. "Just like that." 

"Oh, your arrival took a lot of blood, sweat and tears." Jane chuckled and looked at her wife on her desk, thinking about the pregnancy and birth of Lily. She loved the process and it was the most powerful thing she had ever experienced but she hated seeing her wife in pain.

"We wanted you just as much as everyone else, honey." Maura smiled and leaned forward to tuck a curl behind Lily's ear. "You have no idea how happy we were when we finally got to hold you in our arms."

"Yeah, you were this gross, sticky, purple little baby and you screamed so hard the whole hospital could hear you," Jane chuckled and heard Lily giggling softly, "but we loved you so much it blew our minds."

"Purple?" Lily wrinkled her nose. "I was purple?!"

"Yep. And a little blue."

"Nooo!" She rolled up the sleeves of her shirt and looked at her arms. "Where did the purple go?" 

"You were just a little stuck," Jane chuckled. "That's why you were purple."

"Stuck where?"

"Well uhm…" Jane furrowed her brow. She got herself in trouble. "In Mommy's belly."

"Yeah, good thing babies are stuck in bellies, otherwise they'll fall out." Lily chuckled. "How did I get unstuck?"

Jane pursed her lips and looked at her wife but Maura just looked amused, crossing her arms to see where Jane would take this. "By the magical wonder of birth," Jane replied.

Lily furrowed her brow and turned her head to look up at her mother. "What?"

"We-… Uhm… Hey, how would you like a donut?"

"Yeah!" Lily forgot about the whole thing immediately and jumped off Jane's lap.

"Oh, no." Maura shook her head and uncrossed her arms, taking Lily's backpack back from the desk. "We're going to find grandma Angela and she is going to take you home and make you eat something healthy."

"Mama promised!"

"She did not promise, she asked a question." Maura took Lily's hand in hers. "Now go give Mama a kiss before you head home."

Lily pouted and stood up on her toes to wrap her short arms around Jane's neck before quickly giving her a kiss. "Sorry, baby," Jane said softly before pulling her close.

"Rizzoli!" Frost appeared in the doorway of the office. "When you're done with your cuddle time, we need you in BRIC."

Jane pulled back from Lily and stood up from her desk to head out, but she turned around before walking away, leaning toward her wife to quickly kiss her lips. "Bye."

"Bye, love." Maura chuckled and kissed her gratefully before taking Lily's hand again to get her home.

If she had known what it would take before she could kiss her wife again, she would have made the kiss last as long as she could. That night, when she got home for dinner, she knew something was wrong. She felt it in her gut, even though the great Maura Isles hated believing in 'guts' or anything close to it. Jane was late for dinner and she knew the case they were working on was a tough one. Something was wrong. She knew it.

"Mom?" Anna looked up from her plate, concern showing in her grey eyes. "Are you okay?"

Maura shook her head and looked at her phone for the hundredth time that night. "Yes, I'm just-… I'm just wondering why Mama isn't home yet."

"She probably just has a long day." Anna smiled reassuringly. "She has those all the time."

"She does, but she usually calls or at least sends a text message…"

"Is something wrong with Ma?" Morgan asked, furrowing her brow after swallowing her bite.

Maura smiled and shook her head, not wanting to worry her children. "No, honey. She's probably fine."

But she was wrong. Just a few minutes after she reassured her daughter, her phone rang and she picked up to hear the voice of lieutenant Cavanaugh. It was bad when he called.

"Dr. Isles?"

"Yes?" Maura stood up from her seat and hurried towards the hallway to get out of hearing range of her children. "It's Jane, isn't it?"

He sighed and a short silence fell where Maura's heart dropped to her stomach. "She went in too fast," he said softly. "The suspect was prepared and attacked her."

"Oh, God." Maura closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "What happened? How is she?"

"She's just been taken by an ambulance and probably needs surgery to stop internal bleeding."

"Where is she?" Maura was already grabbing her coat.

"It's no use to come now, Maura," he said in a hushed tone. "She's unconscious and will be for a while. Your kids need you more than she does right now."

"I want to be with her."

"It's your call. Just think about it." Cavanaugh gave her the directions, promised to make someone call Maura with any news and hung up the phone, leaving Maura conflicted and hurting. Her wife was hurt and she wanted to be with her but in the kitchen were three children that needed their mother.

She looked at the dining table and saw Anna looking over shoulder, the concern in her eyes growing stronger. She needed to be with her daughters. She took a deep breath, tried to keep her tears at bay and walked into the room. "Girls," she said, her voice surprisingly hoarse.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked softly.

Maura managed a small smile and sat down next to Anna, gently smoothing her hair while she did. "Mama is in the hospital." She explained the situation and it was as if someone else was talking to the kids. She listened to herself speaking the words but it was like her heart was empty and her tears were stuck.

Morgan had immediate tears in her eyes and Anna worried only more while Lily got off the table and headed outside to get away from her feelings like she did too often. Anna had been through this before. Jane had survived and nothing turned out to be truly wrong but she was so little when that all happened.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Morgan asked with tears in her eyes.

Maura felt tears burning in her own eyes but managed to hold them back while she stood up and cupped Morgan's face to kiss her forehead and wipe her tears. "She's strong, honey," she whispered. "She'll get through this." She gave Anna a kiss and then called Angela with the news and asked her to come over, which she agreed to immediately.

Outside, Lily was sitting in the grass, plucking on the blades of grass between her legs, her curls hanging loose around her face. Maura took a deep breath and walked towards the little girl, clutching her phone in her hand while she desperately waited for any news. "Baby…" She sat down next to her daughter and carefully brushed her hair away to look at her face. There were no tears but her cheeks were pale and her eyes were shimmering.

Lily shook her head and put more aggression in pulling on the blades of grass.

"Mama will be okay, sweetheart," she whispered, partly to comfort her daughter but mostly to convince herself. She didn't know the details of the injuries and that worried her. She couldn't diagnose or fill her mind with medical facts.

"You don't know that." Lily threw a handful off grass on the ground. "I can tell."

Maura sighed deeply and couldn't stop a few tears from trickling down her cheeks. "You're right," she whispered. "I don't."

Lily's brow furrowed and her movements became angrier and angrier.

Maura's heart broke at the sight of her little girl in so much pain. She didn't know how to handle her feelings and tried to lock them all up inside. She reached out to rub her hand up and down Lily's back but the girl shrugged away and stood up to run towards the other side of the backyard, finding a ball and kicking it hard against the wall over and over again.

"Just let her be, honey." Angela's voice sounded from the porch. "She'll break eventually."

Maura looked up at her mother-in-law with tears in her eyes. Angela knew. Jane was exactly the same and Angela knew how to handle her. She looked into Angela's caring eyes and she broke. Her tears spilled over and she allowed herself to fall into her mother's arms, burying herself in the warm embrace while Angela whispered soothing words of comfort.

"Jane is a fighter, honey," Angela said softly while she rubbed Maura's back. "She's doing everything she can to come back to you guys. I know she is."

Maura nodded weakly and just cried for a few minutes before pulling herself together and straightening her back. "I want to go to the hospital," she whispered hoarsely.

"Go." Angela nodded and used her sleeve to wipe a tear from Maura's cheek. "I'll stay with the girls for as long as you need."

"Thank you." Maura took a deep breath and composed herself before quickly grabbing her stuff and driving towards the hospital. Towards her wife.

Cavanaugh was right. There was nothing she could do. But at least she was there and able to be right by Jane's side as soon as she woke up. At least she knew the details now. Internal bleeding in the abdomen. A concussion and most likely a broken ankle. She needed a few scans and X-rays as soon as she got out of surgery and Maura dreaded the outcome.

She spent the night pacing through the white hallways of the hospital, altering between panicking, calming herself down, crying, breathing and worrying. She called home but Angela informed her that everything was fine. She knew Angela was just trying to comfort her and that it was likely that she told Maura it was fine when it really wasn't. Maura knew how hard Anna took hurt and angst, she knew how Morgan could cry and she felt an ache in her stomach when she thought about Lily and her locked up feelings.

And so she spent another hour pacing through the room until her feet started hurting. She sat down again on an uncomfortable couch and buried her face in her hands. A feeling of loneliness washed over her. She just wanted her wife. She wanted to bury herself in those long, strong arms and nuzzle herself into those dark curls she loved so much. She wanted to hear Jane's husky voice telling her she loved her.

After hours and hours of anxious waiting, she was finally allowed into Jane's room. She wasn't awake yet but at least Maura could be by her side. She felt her tears trickling down her cheeks when she opened the door and saw her wife lying there, her face paler than ever, her right eye bruised, a cut above her cheek, tubes and medical equipment hooked up by her bed.

"My love…" Maura pulled a chair next to the bed and took Jane's hand in hers, pressing her lips against her wife's cold knuckles. The bleeding had stopped and the head scan didn't show any signs of permanent damage. But there she was, unconscious, pale and sleeping. Unreachable. "Be strong, my love," Maura whispered through her tears. "Please, please you _have_ to get through this. We can't do this without you, Jane. We can't live without you." She lowered her head, holding Jane's cold hand in both of hers. "We need you to protect us. We need you to love us and make us happy. We can't live without you, my love," Maura let out an involuntary sob and shook her head. "None of us can."

She knew it was no use to keep talking but she had to. She had to, to keep herself sane. She stared at her beautiful wife, gently brushing a dark curl out of her face and tracing her fingers across her sharp cheekbone just below the cut. "How did this happen?" she whispered barely audible. "Why did you go in there by yourself? Why are you so reckless, Jane? Don't you know how desperately we need you?"

"She does." Korsak stood in the doorway of Jane's room, concern showing in his kind eyes. "She knows."

Maura, startled for a moment, wiped her tears and nodded her head.

"It was the first thing she said before they took her in the ambulance." Korsak smiled slightly.

"What was?" Maura's voice was hoarse and her throat felt dry.

"She said your name. She said she needed to be with you and tried to fight the guy that tried to get her in a hospital bed."

Fresh tears filled Maura's eyes and she managed a small smile. "That sounds like her."

"She'll wake up, Maura." Korsak placed his hand on her shoulder. "She'll fight herself through this."

Maura could only nod. She wiped her tears and turned her attention back to her wife's sleeping form. "I know," she whispered hoarsely. "I know she will." She was grateful for her wife's partner. Korsak had always been the one to look after Jane and make sure she was safe and taken care of. And she knew he also looked after Jane's family.

He spent a few minutes with Maura but eventually had to get back to work so he left her alone again. Frost stopped by and so did Cavanaugh but Maura had a hard time focusing on the guests. She only prayed for her wife to wake up.

The nurse was incredibly kind and kept bringing her glasses of water and cups of coffee and she even tried to make her eat a sandwich, but she couldn't get a single bite down her throat. "Wake up, Jane," she whispered in pain after the nurse had left, still holding Jane's hand. "Please. Wake up. I need you, Jane." She lowered her head and her tears spilled on the sheets of the bed. "I need you, my love."

Suddenly she felt a twitch in the cold hand she was holding. She snapped her attention towards Jane's face and saw that she was trying to get her eyes open. "Jane!"

"Hmmm…" Jane couldn't get out more than a murmur.

"Shh…" Maura stood up and gently caressed her wife's face, placing a desperate kiss on her forehead. "I'm here, my love."

"Maur…" Jane finally managed to open her eyes and looked at her wife, eliciting a relieved sob from the blonde.

She lowered herself on her wife's chest and felt a weak hand on her arm. "My love…" Maura sobbed and clutched the sheets. "Oh, my love." 

"I'm here." Jane's voice sounded a bit clearer and Maura lifted her head to finally look into those dark eyes she loved so much.

She nodded and smiled a bright smile through her tears. "You are." She brushed her hand across Jane's cheek and forehead while she looked at her wife, feeling like a heavy weight had finally been lifted off her chest, like she could finally breathe again. "Thank God," she whispered mostly to herself. She lowered herself and very carefully captured Jane's lips for a sweet, light kiss. She pulled back and caressed her wife's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Jane groaned softly and seemed to take a while to think about what she was feeling. "Like I've been hit by a bus," she replied weakly, managing a small smirk. "My head is killing me," she whispered when her smirk fell.

"I'll call the nurse to get you some painkillers." Maura pushed a button and sat back down on the chair, taking Jane's hand back in hers. She kissed her knuckles and smiled when she looked at the way Jane's chest rose and fell with her breathing. She was breathing. Alive. In pain, but alive. She would be coming home to her family.

The nurse came and explained the injuries to Jane after adjusting her IV with painkillers. After she left, Jane looked up at Maura and smiled. "So it sounds like I'm fine."

Maura shook her head with a slight chuckle. "You're not fine." She brushed her hand up and down Jane's arm. "How did this happen, Jane?"

Jane sighed deeply but flinched from the pain it caused in her stomach. "I didn't expect him to be so close," she replied softly. "I thought I had more time."

"What did he do?" Maura felt tears in her eyes and gently squeezed Jane's arm.

"Tackled me. Then started punching and kicking." Jane shook her head in embarrassment. "I was stupid, he was stronger."

Maura didn't reply and just pressed her lips against her wife's cheek. She saw Jane's eyes drooping and knew the painkillers were wearing her out. "Sleep, my love," she whispered. "Rest."

Jane lightly shook her head and looked at her wife. "I'm good." She smiled lovingly and Maura knew she was trying to stay awake for her.

"You've been through surgery and you're in pain. You need rest to heal."

"Where are the girls?"

"At home, with your mother."

"Hm." Jane closed her eyes and furrowed her brow to keep a sting of pain at bay when she moved her legs. "How are they?"

"They will be much better once they hear you're awake."

"Go tell them then." Jane smiled and opened her eyes again, looking at her wife. "I'll be fine."

Maura shook her head and shifted closer, gently massaging the scar in Jane's right palm. "You sleep, then I'll inform them."

"They need _you_ , Maur," Jane said sleepily. "They need more than just a call."

"I don't-…"

"I know you don't want to leave," Jane opened her eyes again and turned her head, her dark eyes mat and weak, "but they need a hug from Mom."

Maura smiled lovingly through the tears in her eyes. No matter how bad her wife felt, she would always put the children first. "Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Maura chuckled and gently kissed the brunette's cheek. "I'll head home when you're asleep to hug our girls and give them a kiss from you."

Jane closed her eyes and smiled contently. "Make sure it's a big one."

Maura lovingly brushed her fingers over Jane's knuckles and felt her heart swelling with love for this beautiful woman she was so proud to call her wife. "The biggest I can manage."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Maura felt like her head was about to burst when she drove home from the hospital. She had cried out all her tears and felt completely empty and exhausted. It was close to 5AM and she could only hope her family would be sleeping, but she knew most of them would be lying awake. She made sure to let Angela know that Jane was alive and awake, so she knew Angela had informed them which hopefully calmed them all down a bit.

The house was dark and quiet when Maura parked the car in the garage so she concluded that at least everyone was in bed. She walked into the kitchen and put her keys on the counter before heading upstairs while she thought about which girl to talk to first.

Luckily, the decision was made for her when Anna came out of her room. "Mom?"

"Shh, hi baby." Maura smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter, kissing the top of her head before leading her back into her room to avoid her waking the others.

"How's Mama? Is she okay? Is she in a lot of pain?"

"She's okay. She's awake and we talked for a bit, she's in quite some pain but she got great medicine and she told me to give you girls a very big kiss." Maura smiled tiredly and pressed her lips against Anna's temple while they sat down on the edge of the bed, explaining all the medical details to her daughter. She knew Anna was smart enough to understand and she knew those facts calmed her down just like they did for herself. "She's sleeping now."

Anna sighed in relief. "Will she be okay?"

"Yes, sweetheart. She'll be okay." Maura gently brushed Anna's blond hair back and looked into her grey eyes which showed exhaustion and fear. "Did you sleep at all?" she asked in a soft whisper.

Anna shrugged. "Not much."

"Hm." Maura pursed her lips and rested her chin on top of Anna's head while she pulled her to her chest. "You should try to sleep, honey."

"Can't we go see Mama?"

"No, baby. Mama's sleeping, she needs her rest." Maura sighed, feeling the urge to be back at the side of Jane's bed. "We'll go visit her first thing tomorrow, okay?"

Anna seemed disappointed for a while but quickly hid the sadness and smiled understandingly. "Okay." She snuggled closer against her mother. "Morgan's been crying a lot," she whispered. "She's scared."

"Hm." Maura sighed and closed her eyes, thinking about her two other girls she still needed to talk to.

"I don't think she slept much either." Anna reluctantly pulled back from her mother's chest. "I think she wants you-…"

"I'll go talk to her in a minute." Maura smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind Anna's ear, looking into her beautiful grey eyes. "After I'm finished with you."

Anna chuckled softly. "I'm fine," she replied but she buried herself back in her mother's arms, telling Maura that she really appreciated that extra minute of time with her mom.

"Mama will be so happy to see you tomorrow," Maura said while she gently rocked Anna from side to side. "She'll forget all about the pain once she sees all of you."

Anna smiled slightly. "I hope so."

Maura kept rocking her daughter for a few more minutes until she felt her muscles relaxing and her breathing slowing down, indicating that she was calm enough to sleep. She gently untangled herself from the young teenager and tucked her into bed, just like she did when Anna was little. She smiled when she looked at the girl lying there, looking at her mother with tired eyes and a worried smile. "We'll be okay, sweetheart," Maura whispered before leaning down to give her a goodnight kiss. "Sleep well."

"Night," Anna whispered back, holding back a yawn. "Love you."

"I love you." Maura smiled and stood up from the bed, quietly closing her bedroom door before walking towards the next bedroom. She closed her eyes for a second to compose herself and opened the door, immediately feeling an ache in her stomach when she heard soft sniffling coming from under the blankets.

"Morgan…"

Morgan turned on her other side and wiped her cheeks before sitting up. "Mom?"

"Hi, baby." Maura sat next to her and kissed her forehead while she cupped her face and wiped her cheeks with her thumbs. "Mama's okay." She smiled gently and explained to her the same things she did to Anna, giving her a big kiss just like Jane told her to.

Morgan wiped her tears but they just kept coming. Where Anna always composed herself and kept her tears to herself, Morgan couldn't keep them at bay. She was the most emotional of them all, even though she hated that fact. She covered her face with her hands and let out a quiet sob. "I-I was s-so scared," she whispered through her tears. "It was just like w-with Dad and-…"

"It's not, honey." Maura gently took Morgan's hands away and cupped her cheek to look into her eyes. "She'll be okay. We won't lose her."

Morgan nodded. "You sure?"

"Absolutely." Maura smiled and brushed Morgan's messy bed-hair out of her face. "I never lie, remember?"

Morgan smiled slightly and used the sleeve of her pajamas to wipe her cheeks. "Yeah."

"Did everything go alright while I was gone?" she asked softly.

Morgan shrugged. "Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Lily was angry at first but Grandma got her to calm down."

Maura hummed and gently rubbed Morgan's leg.

"I cried a lot but I always do, so that's no big deal." Morgan smiled sadly while she fumbled with the sheets.

Maura sighed and leaned forward to place a kiss on Morgan's forehead. "My emotional little girl," she whispered with a sweet smile while she pulled back. "There's no shame in that, not even a little. I'm glad you find an outlet for your emotions."

"I want to be stronger though…." Morgan looked up at Maura as fresh tears filled her eyes. "I'm gonna be strong for Mama when we visit her tomorrow." She pushed out her chest and swallowed her tears.

"You don't have to be strong for us, baby," Maura said softly. "It's perfectly okay to cry. We almost lost Mama today, I'd be worried if you weren't crying. It only shows how much you care about her."

Morgan nodded slowly. "Is she in pain?"

"Right now, she's sleeping. So, no." Maura smiled reassuringly and gently caressed Morgan's cheek. "She's getting very strong pain killers and the doctors are taking very good care of her."

"But she's in pain."

Maura sighed. "Yes."

Morgan lowered her gaze and her bottom lip quivered.

"She has a broken ankle that still needs a cast and her stomach is sore and needs to heal. She mostly has a horrible headache due to the concussion."

Morgan nodded. "She'll hate not being able to walk."

Maura chuckled and smiled the first genuine smile in hours. "Oh, yes."

Morgan giggled too and wiped the last of her tears before taking a deep breath and pulling the blankets higher.

"You should get back to sleep, baby." Maura gently tucked her daughter into bed and kissed her cheek before rubbing her hand up and down the girl's stomach. "Mama will be okay."

Morgan smiled gratefully and curled up into a ball like she always did when she slept. She yawned and actually seemed calmer than a few minutes ago. "Goodnight, Mom," she whispered sleepily.

"I love you." Maura kissed her daughter's temple. "Goodnight."

She closed another bedroom door and braced herself for the last one. She took a deep breath to prepare herself and opened Lily's bedroom door as quietly as possible. She saw a mess of dark curls splayed out on the pillow. Lily was sleeping.

"Thank God," Maura whispered quietly to herself. She carefully sat down on the edge of Lily's bed and couldn't keep herself from lovingly caressing her cheek. She looked so much like Jane. She was so beautiful, even when she was sleeping. She sighed and thought about what to do. She didn't want to wake Lily, knowing how much she needed her sleep. But on the other hand she knew Lily would be angry if she woke up and was the only one that didn't know anything about Jane.

So she just kept staring at her sleeping youngest daughter. Maura was exhausted herself but she didn't want to sleep. She wanted to hug her children and get back to her wife. Sleep was less important.

Suddenly Lily's breathing pattern changed and she squirmed under the sheets, causing Maura to quickly pull her hands away from the girl. "Don't wake up, don't wake up…"

"Mommy?"

"Darn." Maura smiled at her little girl when she opened her eyes. "Hi, honey."

Lily exhaled deeply and stretched her limbs. "Mama?"

"Mama's okay." Maura started to repeat the story but stopped when she saw her daughter's hearing aids on her nightstand. She handed them to her daughter and waited until she had put them in. "Mama's okay," she repeated with a sweet smile. She told the whole story again and Lily seemed unaffected until she sat up and crawled into her mother's lap and finally allowed her tears to fall, letting out a quiet sob.

"Oh, my love." Maura felt tears burning in her own eyes and pulled her little girl as close as she possibly could. "Mama's okay, sweetheart. She's alive and she can't wait to see you."

"I w-wanna s-see her."

"I know, baby. Tomorrow morning, I promise."

Lily nodded against Maura's chest and her bony hands clutched Maura's sweater. "I'm sorry, Mommy," she whispered. "For being angry."

Maura shook her head. She knew this about her daughter. She knew Lily didn't know how to handle her feelings and shut people out while getting angry. But Maura also knew that after a while, she always broke and allowed them to comfort her. "It's okay, I understand."

Lily brushed a few curls out of her face and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand after she sniffled softly. Maura kicked off her shoes and moved the blankets away, taking her daughter in her arms while she got comfortable in the girl's small bed. "Mommy's here, baby. Mama's okay and I'm here."

Lily nodded again and curled up against her mother, still resting her head on Maura's chest. "I want to see Mama," she whispered again.

"Tomorrow morning." Maura kissed the top of Lily's head. "She has to sleep now. Just like you."

Lily sighed deeply and lifted her head to take out her hearing aids. Sleeping with them was uncomfortable. Before she took them out, she looked at her mother and smiled shyly. "Love you, Mom," she said softly before putting her hearing aids back on her nightstand and snuggling back into her previous position.

"I love you too, my sweet girl," Maura said softly.

"Hm?"

Maura cupped Lily's face and looked into her eyes to make it easier for her to understand what she was saying. "I said I love you too."

"Thought so." Lily chuckled softly and took back her position while Maura gently rubbed the girl's back, hoping to lull her to sleep. She hummed softly and kissed her daughter's curls before she heard her breathing evening out and her muscles relaxing.

Another girl was put to sleep. Maura sighed deeply and untangled herself as carefully as possible. She wanted to get back to her wife. Her body was screaming for sleep and she was utterly exhausted but she knew she wouldn't find rest until she was back at Jane's side.

When she came downstairs, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Angela sitting at the dinner table in her pajamas, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of tea. She looked up at her daughter and smiled. "Hi."

"Hi." Maura smiled and rubbed her forehead. "I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry."

Angela shook her head. "Don't worry about it, I barely slept. Rachel's bed is not that comfortable." She smirked but her smile fell when she saw the shocked look on Maura's face.

"Rachel! Oh God, I called her about Jane but I totally forgot to tell her the latest news!"

"I called her." Angela leaned forward and placed her hand on Maura's arm. "She was incredibly happy to know Jane is alright and she told me to give you all a hug."

Maura sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Angela waved her thanks away. "It's what I do."

Maura smiled slightly and stepped forward to give her mother-in-law a sweet hug. Angela pulled her close in her warm arms and sighed deeply before asking, "how's my Janie?" She pulled back and smiled through the tears that shimmered in her eyes. "Is she okay?"

Maura nodded. "She's okay. She's in pain, but she's okay." She knew Angela knew Jane was okay. She called her with the latest news. But she wanted to hear it from Maura. She knew Maura was the one that could get through to Jane and know what was going on in her heart. Maura would know if she was okay, aside from her physical injuries. "I'm going back to the hospital."

"What? Maura, you need to sleep." Angela shook her head and looked worried at the blonde. "You look exhausted."

"I want to be with her."

"She's asleep."

"Still." Maura shrugged and grabbed her coat from the back of a chair. "I won't be able to sleep when I'm away from her anyway."

Angela sighed and knew there was no way of changing Maura's mind. "Okay then. I'll bring the girls by tomorrow morning?"

"Please." Maura smiled gratefully and grabbed her purse, along with a few things she would need. She gave Angela a quick hug and left the house to get back to her sleeping wife.

Back at the hospital, Jane was sleeping like a baby and that relieved Maura. She smiled at the sight of the beautiful brunette and carefully pressed her lips against her forehead before pulling up a chair and sitting in the same position as a few hours ago, gently holding Jane's hand in hers while she stared at her sleeping wife.

"Dr. Isles?" The same nurse as before came into the hospital room after softly knocking on the door.

"Hi." Maura smiled tiredly. "Any news?"

"No, she's been out like a light."

"Thank God." Maura looked back at her wife and gently brushed her fingers over Jane's knuckles.

"Dr. Isles-…" She sighed and her kind eyes looked at Maura with a care and gentleness that surprised Maura. She seemed to make up her mind and opened a large closet on the side of the room, pulling out a small rollaway bed. She unfolded it and grabbed a clean pillow out of the closet, along with a blanket. She pushed the small bed as close to Jane's hospital bed as possible, even though Jane's bed was a lot higher. "Here," she said softly. "It's not much and these aren't too kind on your back, but it's better than falling asleep in that chair."

Maura smiled, gratefulness overwhelming her. "What's your name?" she asked kindly.

"Carol." The nurse smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes telling her age but her pink lipstick showed a kind of youthfulness that made her sparkle.

"Thank you, Carol."

Carol nodded and motioned at the bed. "I hope you can get some sleep. You'll need it."

The bed was indeed not very comfortable but when Maura moved it a few inches closer to Jane, she could keep an eye on her and occasionally hold her hand, just to make sure it was still warm and her pulse was still beating. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her wife was alive. She smiled at that knowledge while the constant beeping of the machines and the sound of Jane's breathing slowly lulled her to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She felt like she had been run over by a car. It was like small swords were being stabbed into her stomach every time she breathed. She couldn't move her leg without screaming out from pain and her head felt like it could explode any minute now. There was a constant burning and beating behind her eyes that just wouldn't go away.

When she opened her eyes, she squinted from the harsh sunlight that beamed through the curtains in her hospital room, but she smiled when she saw her wife sleeping next to her on a small, poor rollaway bed. Her blond curls were untamed and splayed out on the white pillow, her mascara was slightly smudged under her eyes and her mouth was open but she was still the most gorgeous human being in the world. The sunlight accentuated her freckles and made her face glow, her hair shine and her entire being sparkle.

Jane sighed and a sting of pain coursed through her stomach, making her flinch and whimper softly. She closed her eyes but even the soft whimper was enough to startle Maura awake. "Jane?"

"Hm." Jane hummed and waited for the pain to subside before opening her eyes and managing a small smile at her wife.

"How are you feeling?" Maura asked, her voice still sounding sleepy. She sat up on the bed and reached up to caress Jane's cheek.

"Hurts," she mumbled. "Stomach and head."

"You'll be getting another dose of pain killers in…" Maura looked at her watch, "ten minutes."

"Hm."

"Should I call the nurse to give it to you earlier?"

Jane shook her head. "I'm okay." She turned her head to look at her wife and smiled lovingly. "I'm okay, Maur."

Maura nodded and tears shimmered in her eyes while she stood up and carefully pressed her lips against hers in a sweet and loving kiss. She pulled back and tried to hold back her tears but failed. "I love you so much, Jane," she whispered. "I was so afraid I'd lost you."

"You didn't." Jaen managed to lift her arm and caressed Maura's cheek. "I love you too, more than you will ever know and I'll never leave you."

Maura nodded and kissed her again, her lips soft and sweet as ever.

"Did you go see the girls?" Jane asked softly when they pulled apart. 

"Yes. They should be here soon, they can't wait to see you."

Jane smiled at the thought of her beautiful daughters. She couldn't wait to see them either.

A while later, after the painkillers were submitted and Jane was feeling a lot sleepier but a lot less pain, she smiled brightly when a short, dark-haired girl appeared in the doorway.

"Mama!" Lily smiled and hurried towards her mother, climbing up on the side of the bed when Jane reached out her arm for her.

"Hi, baby." She flinched when Lily moved her too much but she hugged her anyway, wanting to feel her little girl close to her.

Maura had cleared the bed away and was immediately at her side to gently pull Lily off of Jane and settle her next to her instead of on top of her. "Are you okay, Mama?" Lily snuggled into her mother's side as carefully as she could, relishing in the feeling of her mother's arms wrapped back around her.

"I'm okay, baby. I'm gonna be fine."

Lily nodded and Jane pressed her lips against the girl's forehead, sensing her exhaustion and fear. "I have a really cool cast around my ankle and my stomach is gonna be purple and green soon." She smirked when she heard a soft giggle coming from her youngest daughter.

"Purple and green?"

"Yeah, you'll see."

"What color is it now?"

"Blue-ish, I think." 

"Can I see?"

Jane shook her head and gently brushed her daughter's familiar dark curls back. "No, baby. That hurts."

Lily furrowed her brow and fumbled with the sheets. "I don't like it when you're hurt, Mama."

"Me neither, baby." Jane smiled and kissed Lily's forehead again. "But I'll get better soon, I promise."

Lily nodded. "Okay."

"Where's the rest?"

"Grandma is waiting outside." Lily pointed at the door. "And Morgan and Anna are in the waiting room, 'cause Grandma told us we could only go one at a time. I called shotgun so I got to go first." She grinned proudly.

"That's not how shotgun works, baby." Jane chuckled but the movement hurt her stomach. She just hugged her daughter close instead and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Lils," she whispered before gently letting her go. "Would you mind getting Grandma for me?"

Lily nodded, always eager and happy to help in any way she could. She carefully slid off the bed and hurried out of the room to get Angela, eliciting a smile from Maura. "She looks more and more like you every day," she said softly before Angela entered the room.

Jane knew her mother was aching. So she gave her a few moments to cuddle her and tell her how stupid she was for getting hurt and how much she loved her and how her children couldn't live without her and Jane just allowed it. Even this brief visit was exhausting her and wearing her out and she knew she still had her other daughters to go. While Maura went to spend time with the other girls, it was Morgan's turn to see Jane.

Morgan came in and just hugged her mother as carefully as possible while she tried her best to hold back her tears. Jane kissed her cheek over and over again and told her she was fine and would be all better soon before she let her go and welcomed Anna into the room.

Anna looked pale and hesitated. She didn't climb up on the bed like the others did and stood at the side, fumbling with her hands.

"Hi, peanut," Jane whispered with a tired smile.

Tears welled up in Anna's eyes when she looked at her mother. "What happened, Ma?" she asked through the lump in her throat.

Jane swallowed her tears and tried to smile but she failed. What did happen? It all went so fast. "He uhm-…" she sighed deeply. "He was too fast."

"Who?"

"Our suspect. We knew he'd committed the murder and we knew he was hiding at this empty construction site. I went in there but he came at me from behind. I didn't react quickly enough and he pounded me." 

Tears trickled down Anna's cheeks when she listened to her mother.

"He first hit me on the back of my head with something, a piece of wood I think," Jane felt the bump on her head and her headache intensified. "Then I twisted my ankle when I tried to get him. I fell and he just started punching my stomach. Good thing your Uncle Frost heard it and came for the bastard, otherwise he would've bruised a lot more organs in there."

"What happened to him?"

"Frost shot him. He didn't survive."

Anna nodded, silent tears still trickling down her cheeks.

"Peanut…"

Anna shook her head and covered her face as a small sob escaped her body. "Mama…"

"Hey, come here, baby," Jane reached out her arm and tried to pull her daughter in for a hug but Anna shook her head again, "honey, please." She felt a tear falling from her eye into her hair when she looked at her beautiful thirteen-year-old. "I'm okay. I'll be more careful in the future, I promise. I love you all way too much and I hate hospitals."

Anna tried to speak but she failed and Jane knew she had been holding back her tears for way too long. "Come here, peanut," she whispered one more time.

Anna sobbed and carefully climbed up on the bed just like her sisters did, snuggling into Jane's side where she cried softly. "R-remember when you got into that car accident? With Uncle Frankie?"

Jane nodded slowly. "Yeah. I didn't get hurt then, remember?"

"No, but you didn't come home and that scared me." Anna averted her gaze and started fumbling with her sweater. "I always had your watch with me and you always told me when you'd be home and when you knew you'd be home late you'd always let me know so I didn't have to be afraid."

Jane smiled and kissed the top of Anna's head. "Yeah. I remember. I still try to do that."

Anna nodded. Her mother would always text her or call someone at home to let them know she would be home late. Today, she didn't call. Anna sobbed again and squirmed to reach into the pocket of her pants, pulling out the watch that Jane gave to her so many years ago.

Jane gasped. "You still have that?"

"Yeah." Fresh tears fell down Anna's cheek when she traced the watch with her slim fingers. "Last night, when Mom went to the hospital-…" A sob interrupted the girl and she covered her face with her hands. "The w-watch st-stopped and I know it's stupid b-but I thought-… I thought it was a sign…"

"Oh, baby…" Jane wiped her cheek and pulled her daughter close against her while she gently kissed her forehead. "It's not a sign. I'm still here." 

Anna nodded and moved her arm to clutch to her mother's hospital gown, a desperate sob escaping her. "I don't like that your job is dangerous, Mama," Anna whispered barely audible. "I know it's selfish of me but I don't like it."

"It's not selfish, baby." Jane took a deep, shuttering breath to keep her tears at bay but failed. "Mom doesn't like it either. Sometimes even I don't." Her eyes burned with the tears that filled them and she tried to pull her daughter as close as possible without hurting herself. She slightly pulled back to cup Anna's cheek and look into her grey eyes. "My job is very important to me," she said softly. "But it's not nearly as important as coming home to you. You always have to remember that, okay? I will always do everything I can to come home to you."

Anna looked at her mother through her tears and slowly nodded. "We can't lose you, Ma," she whispered.

"You won't." Jane swallowed and kissed Anna's temple before pulling her back to her chest. "I promise."

Anna tried to hold back her tears but Jane rubbed her back and gently soothed her, "shh, it's okay baby. Just let it go. Mama's here, I'm okay."

After what seemed like an hour of crying, pleading and clutching to her mother, Anna untangled herself and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Jane smiled and helped wipe a few streaks with her own hand while Anna sat up but her smile fell quickly when she looked at the doorway behind Anna.

She felt her heart speeding up and her stomach immediately ached from something entirely different than the surgery. She kept down a gasp but couldn't help the look of fear that crossed her face. There, in the doorway she had seen the tall, classy woman she feared and loathed. The woman that threaten to tear apart their family and take Morgan away from them. Amelia.

She had been standing there with that evil smile curling her lips as if she enjoyed watching Anna ache and cry for her mother and was waiting for one of them to hurt even worse. What was she doing at the hospital? How did she know Jane was there? Jane furrowed her brow and tried to sit up but the pain made her dizzy.

"Ma…" Anna stopped her and looked at her with concern in her eyes. "Ma? What's going on?"

"C-can you get your Mom, baby?" Jane asked, her eyes still closed. "Please?"

Anna hurried off the bed but she didn't have to look for Maura. She came walking into the room with that tired, loving smile on her face. Her smile fell when she saw the look in Jane's eyes. "Is everything okay?"

Jane nodded but she knew her eyes were telling Maura something else. Maura furrowed her brow and gently placed her hand on Anna's shoulder. "Why don't you go back to Grandma, honey?" she asked with a kiss on the back of Anna's head. "I think it's time to let Mama sleep."

Anna nodded but walked towards Jane once again to place a sweet kiss on her cheek. "Bye, Mama," she whispered.

"Bye, peanut." Jane tried to hide her fear and worry and she could only hope she succeeded. From the look in Anna's eyes, she picked up some of it at least.

"What's going on?" Maura asked while she checked all the monitors by Jane's bed to see if everything was okay.

"Amelia."

"What?" Maura's attention snapped towards her wife.

"She's here." Jane pointed at the doorway. "She was standing right there while Anna was with me."

"How-... How does she know you're here?"

Jane looked up at the ceiling and felt her throat closing up in fear. "It was her."

"How?" Maura's brow furrowed further and she carefully sat down on the edge of the bed next to her wife. "You mean she's working with the man that did this to you?"

"She might, yeah." Jane's brain worked full speed while she tried to figure this out but the pain in her body and the exhaustion were keeping her from thinking clearly. "It has to be her. She can't know what happened unless she's in on this."

"She might have heard," Maura offered weakly. "I mean… A homicide detective getting attacked and having life-threatening surgery… I'm sure that story goes around fast."

Jaen shook her head. "No. No, that's not it." She felt it in her gut. She knew it. Amelia had set up a trap and she had walked into it with her eyes wide open.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"You gotta check on her, Frost." Jane looked at her partner who stood at the foot of the bed. "I know what I saw."

"You saw a certain type of smile on her face?" Barry raised his eyebrows but Jane knew he would look into it.

"Yeah-… She's in this, I know she is!"

"Okay, calm down." Frost held up his hands and nodded. "I'll check everything."

"Thank you." Jane sighed in relief and felt her head pounding behind her eyes. While her ankle felt better and her stomach was aching less, her headache only seemed to get worse.

She was sick of this hospital. It had only been a day and she wanted to get out. She wanted to get home to her wife and daughters. She missed having them around. Her body was healing well, according to the doctors, so she hoped to be home as soon as possible.

Frost went back to work and promised to keep Jane updated, knowing how much she hated to be out of it. Jane closed her eyes and felt the exhaustion from just one conversation. She wished simple things like this didn't tire her as much as they did.

"Jane-… Ma?" A familiar voice called her name and Jane opened her eyes to see Rachel standing in the doorway.

"Rachel!" She smiled and tried to lift herself to sit up a little further but she flinched in pain.

"Don't get up." Rachel hurried towards the side of her mother's bed.

"What are you doing here?" Jane asked, her voice surprisingly hoarse and weak while she reached out her arm to pull Rachel down for a kiss on her cheek.

Rachel shrugged. "I heard what happened and I wanted to be home."

Jane smiled at her oldest daughter, gently squeezing her hand. "I'm okay, honey."

"You sure?" 

Jane nodded, her head hurting more and more with every move she made. "Yeah. I'm sure." She saw tears shimmering in Rachel's eyes and gently pulled on the girl's arm. "C'mere, baby," she whispered while she moved her for a careful hug. "I'm okay."

Rachel nodded against her mother. "Thank God," she said softly. "Did you kick the guy's ass?"

Jane sighed deeply. She wished she kicked his ass and made him pay for what he did. But he didn't survive and now she would never get a chance to punish him. "Yeah."

"Good." Rachel smirked slightly and pulled back from the hug, looking at Jane with concern in her bright blue eyes. She knew she was tired. "I better go," she whispered.

"No, you can stay."

Rachel shook her head. "I wanted to go see Mom anyway."

"She's probably on her way here," Jane said, looking at the clock on the wall. "She said she'd come by after lunch."

"Is Morgan home?"

"Yeah." There would be no school for the girls today. They barely slept that night and they needed a day at home to process everything. "Give her a kiss from he, she's had it rough."

"I will." Rachel smiled and leaned down to carefully kiss Jane's cheek. "Bye, Ma," she whispered.

Jane smiled at the word 'Ma'. Rachel didn't use it often and that made it even more special to hear. "Bye, honey."

She watched the teenager leaving the room and smiled to herself before her eyes slipped closed in exhaustion. She couldn't keep them open if she tried. A delicious state of unconsciousness announced itself and she happily gave in to it, feeling her muscles relaxing as her head pounded and her stomach ached. She briefly saw the shadow of a tall woman entering the room before she slipped into a deep sleep.

"Rachel!" Maura smiled when she saw her oldest daughter entering through the back door. "My goodness, what a surprise!" She hurried towards the girl and wrapped her arms around her. "Hi, honey."

"Hi." Rachel's arms wrapped around her mother, accepting the hug.

"Did you go see your Ma?" Maura asked, pulling back to tuck a strand of long dark hair behind Rachel's ear.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah. She looks bad, Mom," she said softly.

Maura sighed deeply and nodded her head. "I know."

"I only went in for a few seconds, she looked so tired."

"I hope she gets some sleep," Maura said while she squeezed Rachel's arm before letting her go and grabbing her coat. "I was just about to head out."

"Is Morgan upstairs?" Rachel dropped her bag on the floor and took off her jacket.

"Yes, although she might be sleeping. She was in bed when I went in for a kiss."

"Hm." Rachel nodded and headed towards the stairs. "Give Ma another kiss from me, alright?"

"I will." Maura chuckled and walked towards the living room where Lily was making a drawing for Jane. "That looks beautiful, baby," she said while she kissed the top of Lily's head. "If Mama feels alright, you can bring it to her tonight."

"Yeah?" Lily smiled up at her mother, her dark eyes looking tired but sparkling.

"Yeah." Maura cupped Lily's cheek and gave her a quick peck on her lips. "Listen to Anna while I'm gone, Grandma will be here soon."

"Yep. Say hi to Mama from me, okay?"

"Of course." Maura moved away from Lily to say goodbye to Anna who was reading in one of the chairs. She cupped her cheek to get her attention away from the book and smiled when the girl looked at her. "I'm going back to Mama. Will you watch out for Lily? Grandma will be here soon."

Anna nodded and put her book in her lap to wrap her arms around Maura's neck. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, sweetheart." Maura kissed the side of Anna's head and pulled her close before untangling herself. "I love you."

"Love you too." Anna was already back in her book, eliciting a chuckle from Maura.

She decided to leave Rachel and Morgan and hurried towards her car, wanting to get back to her wife as soon as she could. The drive went by without Maura paying attention and she walked into the hospital without thinking, finding Jane's room quickly.

She expected to see her wife in the same position she left her, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw a nurse and a doctor bending over the bed and talking quickly over each other.

"W-what's going on?"

The nurse Carol snapped her attention towards Maura and hurried towards her. "Some complications, we have it under control."

"What happened?"

"We-…" 

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Maura dropped her purse and pushed past the nurse to see her wife who was convulsing and shaking. "JANE!" 

"10 milliliters…" The doctor mumbled while she pumped something in Jane's IV. "There we go." He placed his stethoscope on Jane's chest and listened carefully while the brunette's body stopped shaking. "Yes, yes." He nodded his head and straightened his back. "Yes."

"YES?" Maura shook her head and felt her throat closing up with fear, making it hard to breathe or speak. "What the hell is going on?"

"Dr. Isles." The doctor only now seemed to notice Maura. "Oh, well… Something turned out to be wrong with the IV, but she'll recover soon."

"What was wrong with it?"

"We're not sure."

"You're not sure?" Maura raised her eyebrows. "How could this happen?"

"We're not sure."

Maura groaned and forgot her manners while she pushed past the doctor and stood next to her wife, gently stroking Jane's warm forehead. "She has a fever." She examined her wife and saw her sweating and her brow furrowed in pain. "Jane, my love," she said softly while she kissed her forehead. "Wake up."

"She might be out of it for a while with these medicine," the doctor pointed at the IV while he typed something on his iPad.

Maura turned around and felt fire in her stomach. She felt a new kind of anger taking over and she wanted to punch this man in his face as hard as she could. "You better tell me what's going right now!"

The doctor seemed stunned for a moment and then sighed and gave in. He talked in medical terms and a language only Maura and he understood. But the fear in Maura grew. Her stomach started hurting and she knew what this meant. She didn't guess but she couldn't ignore the clues here.

"So, someone messed with her IV," Maura stated, turning her attention back to her wife.

"We don't know that for sure. Sometimes something goes wrong, an air bubble or-…"

"No." Maura shook her head. "I've been checking her IV throughout the day. I would've noticed."

The doctor sighed. "The most important thing is that she's okay. She'll have to recover but she's okay."

Tears filled Maura's eyes and she quickly blinked them away. "Yes," she whispered through the lump in her throat. "Thank you."

"We're going to look into this, Dr. Isles." The doctor smiled and suddenly seemed a lot friendlier.

"Please." Maura nodded and pulled up the chair on the side of Jane's bed, again staring at Jane's closed eyes and flushed cheeks. "Don't do this to us again, Jane," she whispered when the doctor left the room. "Wake up, my love." She caressed her warm cheek and took her hand in hers to press her lips against her knuckles. "Come back to me."

As if Jane heard the blonde, there was a slight twitch in her left eye. Maura straightened her back and held her breath. She exhaled when she heard a soft groan coming from her wife. "Jane?"

"Hmm." Jane sighed deeply and turned her head without opening her eyes. "Hmm?"

"Shh, I'm here, Jane." Maura stood up and pressed her lips against Jane's warm forehead. "You're okay." She checked the monitors next to the bed and sighed in relief. "You're okay, sweetheart."

"Wh'happened?" she mumbled, furrowing her brow as she slowly peaked one eye open.

"Something was wrong with your IV, you've been unconscious for a while."

"Hm." Jane hummed but she didn't seem to understand what Maura said.

Maura sighed deeply and gently squeezed her wife's hand. She didn't speak. She knew Jane would freak out as soon as she understood what happened so she wanted to give her a few more relatively carefree moments.

Jane kept trying to open her eyes and wake up but it was like her eyelids were too heavy. It took almost an hour before her head was cleared out and she looked at Maura with a little more light in her eyes.

"Hi." Maura smiled and carefully pressed a kiss on Jane's lips.

"What happened?" Jane asked with her brow furrowed. "Why does my head feel like it's stuffed with cotton candy?"

Maura shook her head with a smile and softly explained what happened.

Jane's eyes went wide and she stared up at the ceiling. "It was her. I saw her."

"What?"

"She was here, I saw her shadow before I fell asleep, I-…" she tried to push herself up but flinched in pain.

"Don't!" Maura gently pulled her back down and stood up to stroke her cheek. "You've had a brief oxygen deficiency in your blood, you need to rest."

"Frost-… He needs to know-…" Jane closed her eyes to let the dizziness fade.

"I'll call him." Maura stroked Jane's cheek and forehead. "I promise."

Jane nodded weakly before her eyes closed again and she slipped into another deep sleep, leaving Maura worrying and trying not to cry. She called Frost like she promised and he immediately went to work while Maura felt useless and powerless.

She stayed at Jane's side until that afternoon when Maura went down to the hospital cafeteria to get herself something to eat. She sat at a small table and moved her salad around with her fork while she chewed on a piece of bread that felt like drywall in her mouth. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was hungry but she had trouble getting anything down her throat.

She looked up from her tray with food when she noticed someone walking up to her table, a large shadow covering her. She almost choked on her bread when she looked into the eyes of Paddy Doyle.

"Maura." He nodded his head and sat down opposite her. He was wearing a hat that partly covered his face and his jacket was tucked high around his neck but it was unmistakably Paddy Doyle.

"What are you doing here?" Maura felt her throat closing up while she tried to figure out what she was feeling. Fear? Disgust? Sympathy? She didn't know. She saw in his eyes that her biological father cared deeply about her but she knew how much blood he had on his hands.

"I hear someone is tormenting your family."

Maura sighed and put down her fork. There was no use in denying it, Paddy had his sources all over the city. "Yes."

"I want you to know I'm taking care of it."

"What?" Maura furrowed her brow. "No-…" she sighed and straightened her back. "Our legal system is perfectly capable of taking care of cases like this."

"The legal system isn't fast enough. If that nurse hadn't come in, that woman would've killed Jane."

"No…" Maura's whisper was weak but she wanted to hear what Paddy had to say so she listened and didn't protest. Apparently this was important enough for Paddy to come out into public and talk to her.

"She's getting orders from inside, Maura." Paddy leaned forward over the table and looked into her eyes from under his hat. "That Matthews lady has got the whole prison obeying to her. It's a piece of cake to manipulate someone as stupid as Amelia." He averted himself when a few doctors passed before looking back at Maura. "Janet is threatening her and she's eating out of her hand."

"So, Janet gives Amelia orders?"

Paddy nodded. "She wants the kids. You have the kids. So she wants you dead."

Maura closed her eyes and the smell of her salad suddenly made her nauseous.

"That's not going to happen." Paddy shifted in his seat but he had a familiar calmness over him. His movements were as gentle and calm as Maura's always were. Maura saw the resemblance but decided to ignore it.

"How do you know it's not going to happen?" she asked hoarsely.

Paddy looked intently into her eyes, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. "I have guys taking care of it."

Maura sighed. She wanted to stop him but she knew it was no use. "Why?" she asked while she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"I want Jane alive as much as you do."

"Why?"

"She keeps you safe." He looked down at the table and Maura saw a small sign of a smile on his face. "She makes you happy." He looked back up at his biological daughter. "I like having you safe and happy."

"We don't need you for that," Maura said softly, her defense weakening. "I don't want you to kill, I don't want anything to do with that."

"That's why I'm not asking for your permission." Paddy stood back up and looked down at her. "I came here to tell you it's taken care of."

"You killed her, didn't you?"

"I sent a message." Paddy put on a pair of sunglasses even though there was no sun outside and the cafeteria was relatively dark. "Bye, Maura."

Maura didn't reply. She watched him leave and turned her attention back to her food that looked more unappetizing than ever. She noticed a part of her felt relief but because of that she only felt more awful. She didn't want anyone to die because of her. She didn't want anything to do with Paddy's murders. But she knew there was no way of getting out.

She stood up and threw her food away, her stomach aching while she found her way back to Jane's room and sat back in the chair by her side. She knew either Janet or Amelia would be found dead within the next few hours. It was just a matter of time before BPD found out and would break the news to them.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"So… Our mom is dead?" Morgan looked up at Maura from her spot at the dinner table.

"Yes."

Rachel stood up from her seat and walked into the kitchen. "Good."

"Rachel…"

"You think I care?" Rachel turned around and looked at Maura, angry and cold. "I'm glad she's dead! She deserved to get killed."

Maura shook her head and looked at Anna who witnessed the conversation with concern in her grey eyes. Anna knew Maura's biological father was a mob boss that killed dozens of people. She was the only one that knew and Maura wanted to keep it that way for a while. Lily was too young and Rachel and Morgan didn't need to know. Their feelings were complicated enough as it were.

Janet had been killed inside of prison. The killer was yet to be found and Maura suspected it would stay a mystery. Jane had reacted the same way Rachel did, acting like she didn't care when really Maura knew she was struggling with what to feel. She told her wife after Paddy had visited the hospital and she expected the kill to happen within a few hours but it actually took two days before the news came to them. In those two days, the homicide team worked as hard as they could and Jane slowly got a bit better. Janet died and Amelia was nowhere to be found. Maura hated Paddy Doyle and the blood on his hands but a part of her was relieved. Amelia was no longer a threat and neither was Janet.

"Someone killed her?" Morgan asked, tears suddenly shimmering in her eyes.

"Yes, honey," Maura whispered. She took a seat next to the girl and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Morgan angrily wiped a tear that fell down her cheek and shook her head while she groaned. "It's good that she's dead!" she said determined. "It's a good thing!" But her bottom lip quivered and tears started trickling down her cheeks. "Why am I crying?" she whispered through a lump in her throat.

Maura swallowed hard and wrapped her arms around the young, skinny girl to pull her into her lap and kiss the side of her head. "It's okay, baby."

"Amelia is gone too now, right?" Anna asked carefully from the other side of the table.

"She is, yes." Maura nodded and rested her cheek against Morgan's forehead while the girl rested against her chest. They didn't know where Amelia was but they knew she would no longer be a threat without Janet's orders from inside of prison.

"So, we're all good." Rachel walked back from the kitchen with a glass of juice in her hand. "Who wants to play a game?"

"I do!" Lily called from the living room, having heard the news without really responding.

Maura furrowed her brow when she looked at Rachel. She was running away from what she was feeling, telling herself that everything was fine when really her insides were a raging storm of emotions. She decided to let her be for now. She would find her emotions eventually.

She gently rocked Morgan from side to side as the girl dried her tears. "It's okay, baby," she whispered with a kiss on top of her head. "It's okay to cry."

Morgan nodded and wiped her cheek with her sleeve before untangling herself from her mother. "When can we go see Mama?"

Maura smiled and brushed her dark hair out of her face. "We can go now if you'd like."

"Yeah." Morgan smiled tiredly. "I wanna visit her."

"Okay, let's eat something and then head to Mama." Maura pulled her in for a tight hug, looking at Anna over Morgan's head. "Do you want to come too?"

"Of course!" Anna got up from her seat and walked towards the kitchen to find something for lunch, wanting to see her mother as soon as possible. Maura had been there this morning but she let the girls at home, knowing how visitors exhausted Jane. The girls could visit her twice a day on good days, but Jane was still weak and tired.

"Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going to visit the hospital, go get ready, please."

Lily jumped up and immediately forgot about the game she played with Rachel. "Yes!"

"Rachel?" Maura rested her chin on top of Morgan's head and looked at the older girl.

Rachel sighed and looked at her phone to check the time. "I don't know, I actually have to go if I want to make it back before the middle of the night."

Maura nodded. She didn't like to say goodbye to her oldest daughter when she left for college and she knew Rachel dreaded going back as well now that Jane was in the hospital. But she couldn't miss any more classes.

"I'll bring my stuff and go from there, is that okay? I want to say goodbye to Ma."

"Of course." Maura smiled and watched Rachel hurrying towards her bedroom to gather her stuff. She squeezed Morgan in her arms and saw that her tears had dried. "I love you, sweetheart," she whispered quietly.

"Love you too, Mom." Morgan smiled slightly and pulled herself away from her mother.

"Mommy!" Lily came running back into the room, holding a piece of paper in her hands. "Can I bring my painting for Mama?"

"You can." Maura felt Morgan standing up and leaned forward to kiss Lily's forehead. "She'll love it, you did a very good job." 

"Thanks." Lily grinned proudly and carefully rolled up the painting. "Can I put a bow on it?"

"You can, but just the one please," Maura replied, thinking about the last time Lily wrapped a gift and used all the ribbons and paper she could find.

"Yep!" Lily happily ran off to wrap her present for her mother, eliciting a chuckle from Maura.

An hour later, the whole family arrived at the hospital and Jane woke up from a short nap, hearing her wife's soft voice waking her. "Jane, my love." Jane felt a warm kiss on her temple and opened her eyes, looking at her beautiful wife.

"Hi." Her voice was hoarse and she exhaled deeply as she woke up, the sting in her stomach reminding her that inhaling or exhaling deeply was a bad idea. She lifted her head to see her four girls standing in the doorway and she smiled brightly. "Hi, girls!" She tried to pull herself up but her leg was in a cast and her stomach still hurt so she kept herself down.

"Here," Maura pushed the button on the side of the bead to lift the head so Jane could sit up a bit.

Jane smiled gratefully and reached out her arm to her girls. "C'mere!"

Lily was the first one to hurry towards her and climb up on the bed, wrapping her short arms around her mother's neck as she hugged her close. "Hi, Mama."

"Hi, baby." Jane lovingly pulled her close and kissed the side of her head. "How's it going? Things still okay at home without me?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded and pulled back, sitting on her knees on the side of the bed. "But it's boring 'cause Mom doesn't play baseball in the backyard with me."

"So boring." Jane shook her head and winked at Maura before giving Lily a sweet kiss. "I miss you, kiddo."

"I miss you too." Lily smiled sadly and looked at Maura. "Mom, can I have Mama's gift?"

"You got me a gift?" Jane gasped playfully and looked at Maura carefully pulling a rolled up piece of paper out of her purse.

"Yep." Lily handed it to her mother and Jane unwrapped it to see a lovely painting by her daughter. Lily was creative and had a mind filled with colorful fantasies. She painted trees and flowers with baseball bats, a pig with a dress, an astronaut on the small sun in the corner, a few houses and the words 'I LOVE YOU MAMA' in the center.

Jane smiled brightly at her youngest daughter, the pain in her body fading as unconditional love for her beautiful children filled her heart. "Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome." Lily grinned proudly and slid off the bed, taking the painting with her. "Can I put it up here?" She pointed at the wall opposite the bed. "So you can look at it?"

"Yeah, that's a good plan." Jane smiled and turned her head towards her other children that were waiting on the side of the bed.

Rachel looked tired and had a harshness over her that surprised Jane. She knew Maura told them the news about their biological mother and apparently Rachel took it hard. Jane wrapped one arm around the teenager and kissed her cheek. "You okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Couldn't be better." She smiled. "That horrible woman died, so I'm happy." 

Jane furrowed her brow. She knew it was more complicated than that.

"I have to get back," Rachel said softly. "I just came by to say goodbye."

"Okay." Jane pulled her down to kiss her forehead and sighed deeply. "Be safe," she whispered. "Call us if you need anything."

Rachel said her goodbyes and Morgan walked with her towards her car, leaving Maura, Anna and Lily with Jane in the hospital room. Lily sat down at the foot of Jane's bed, seeming happy to be back with her mother while Anna sat closely next to Jane's side, just wanting to snuggle with the mother she missed so much.

"Are they okay?" Jane asked while she wrapped her arm around Anna's shoulders, careful not to move herself too much to avoid the pain in her stomach.

Maura sighed. "I'm not sure."

"Morgan's sad," Anna said softly. "But she doesn't want to be sad. She told me."

"Hm." Maura nodded and reached up to brush a strand of hair out of Anna's face. "I think she'll be okay."

"I hope so." Anna smiled and looked at Lily who lay down on the food of the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Mama? Isn't it so boring here?" Lily furrowed her brow and looked around the room. "I'd be bored out of my mind!"

Jane chuckled, looking at the dark-haired girl that looked so much like her. "I'm sleeping most of the time, so I don't really notice. I'm gonna get so bored once I get better."

Lily popped herself up on her elbow. "When are you finally coming home? It's been like three days!"

"Soon, baby." Jane smiled but one look at her wife told her that she wasn't coming home soon. She knew she had to stay for at least the rest of the week.

"Mama needs to stay for a while longer, honey," Maura replied. "But when she gets a little better, we can visit her more often."

"Yeah, once a day is craaazy!" Lily shook her head and plopped herself down on the bed, eliciting a hiss from Jane when she felt like a sword had been stabbed into her stomach and her ankle had been twisted.

"Shh, oh baby don't do that." Maura grabbed Lily's arm and gently pulled her off the bed. "Careful."

"Sorry." Lily looked guilty and allowed her mother to pull her into her lap.

Jane smiled and shook her head. "It's okay." She pulled Anna closer against her side and kissed the side of her head while Morgan came back into the room.

"Did Rachel leave?"

"Yeah." Morgan sighed and sat down on the other edge of the bed.

Jane saw pain in Morgan's blue eyes and gently squeezed her leg before wrapping her arm back around Anna, feeling her daughter's head resting on her shoulder. She smiled, rested her cheek against Anna's head and looked at Lily in Maura's lap. She had her family back in her room and she loved it. She missed her girls. She smiled contently while she listened to Lily's stories, resting her head back against her pillow while Lily talked and Morgan added her parts to the stories.

After a while, Jane felt the pain in her stomach increasing and her head was pounding slightly, a sharp pain announcing itself behind her eyes. Maura noticed and kissed the back of Lily's head. "I think it's time to go home, babies. Mama needs to sleep."

"Ahh, already?!" Lily pouted and tilted her head. "I don't wanna go."

"Come on, honey." Maura lifted the girl off her lap and leaned over her wife to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Try to sleep, my love," she whispered while her soft hand brushed across Jane's cheek.

Jane nodded weakly. "Will you be back?"

"Of course." Maura smiled lovingly, causing Jane's stomach to tingle with the love she felt for her beautiful wife. "I'll be back after I drop the girls off at home."

"Okay." Jane pursed her lips and kissed the blonde again while she carefully untangled her arm from Anna.

"Mom?" Anna looked at her mother while she fumbled with the sheets of the bed. "Can I stay?" she whispered, barely audible.

Maura smiled slightly, her hands resting on Lily's shoulders in front of her. "Your Ma needs to sleep, sweetheart," she replied.

"That's okay, I brought my book." Anna looked at her mother with pleading eyes. "Please? I just-… I want to stay."

Maura sighed deeply and looked at Jane who gave her a small nod. "Okay then."

"Thank you." Anna smiled.

Morgan stood up from the bed and Jane stopped her before she could walk away. "Hold on," she took the girl's arm and pulled her closer. "Kiss."

Morgan chuckled and kissed her mother's cheek before Lily did the same and followed Maura outside after she gave her wife a last kiss, leaving the room quiet except for the steady dripping of the IV.

Jane sighed and wrapped her arms back around Anna next to her, carefully trying to turn on her side when Anna snuggled against her mother. "I love you, peanut," Jane whispered quietly.

"Love you too…" Anna nuzzled herself against the brunette and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Hey…" Jane pressed her lips against her daughter's forehead. "I'm okay, remember?"

Anna nodded. "I know but-…" she sniffled and shook her head. "They wanted you dead, Ma," she whispered. "She wanted to kill you." 

"A lot of bad people want me dead." Jane smirked but her smile fell when she felt Anna's tears wetting her shirt. "She may have wanted me dead but she didn't succeed."

"No."

"And no one ever will."

Anna smiled slightly and nodded her head. "I know."

Jane pulled her daughter as close as possible without hurting herself and closed her eyes, feeling her exhaustion taking over. Her breathing steadied and she fell asleep with her beautiful daughter in her arms.

When she woke up, Maura was at her side again and Anna was sleeping next to her. She opened her eyes and felt that her headache actually felt a bit better, although her stomach was getting worse. "Hi," she whispered hoarsely at her wife who was reading a medical journal.

"Hi." Maura smiled lovingly and closed the journal, leaning forward in her chair to gently kiss her lips. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Jane smiled and rested her head back against the pillow. "Except for my stomach."

"You haven't eaten in a while." Maura put her journal away and caressed the Detective's cheek. "It looks like Anna needed the rest as badly as you did."

Jane chuckled, looking at the sleeping teenager at her side. "Yeah, I guess she did." She carefully kissed the top of Anna's head and saw her phone lighting up from the small table next to the bed. She reached out to grab it and saw Rachel's name on the screen. "Hi, Rach," she said softly while she answered the call, trying not to wake Anna.

"M-Ma…" Rachel's voice was laced with tears and it sounded like she was at the side of a road.

"What's wrong?" Jane furrowed her brow and saw Maura doing the same when she heard her tone of voice.

"I-… I don't know what to do…"

"What do you mean?"

"I should feel happy, right?" A loud car passed her and Rachel kept on pacing. "I mean, that woman abused my Dad and then she hurt me and Morgan and she tried to take Anna and now she tried to kill you to get Morgan back… I should be happy she's dead. Right?"

"Well…" Jane didn't know what to answer. She had no idea what Rachel was supposed to be feeling.

"I know I should be happy, but why don't I feel happy?"

"I don't know, honey…"

"I should just be happy. We should be celebrating or something." Rachel sniffled and choked on her tears for a moment. "Damnit!" She let out an angry sob that broke Jane's heart.

"Hey, baby… It's okay to feel sad…"

"No! I should be happy!"

"You're not supposed to be anything, Rachel. Whatever you're feeling is okay." Jane looked at Maura and saw her wife looking at her with concern in her hazel eyes. "It's okay to be sad."

"N-no…"

"Yeah." Jane nodded and felt Anna slowly waking up in her arms. "It's okay to feel sad. Y'know, she was your mother and you loved her at some point."

"Yeah, maybe when I was born 'cause you're supposed to love your mom but then she turned into an ass and I stopped!"

"But you did love her. That doesn't go away. She gave birth to you and she loved you when she put you on this earth."

Rachel sniffled and Jane heard she had stopped pacing.

"No matter how horrible she was; you're still connected to each other." Jane felt Anna snuggling against her to fall back asleep, unaware of the conversation happening on the phone. "Grief is a complicated thing, honey."

"Yeah." Rachel's voice was just above a whisper and Jane heard her wiping her tears.

"It's okay that you're sad," Jane said softly while she looked into Maura's eyes. "Morgan cried her eyes out this morning, she's feeling exactly the same way."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Maura nodded and Jane confirmed her words. "Why don't you give her a call?" she whispered. "She'll understand, she's feeling the exact same things."

"Yeah… Yeah I will." Rachel's breathing seemed to calm, eliciting a smile from Jane.

"Where are you, honey?" Jane asked softly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm on the side of the road," Rachel sighed and Jane heard a car door opening and closing, the noise from the road fading when Rachel got into her car. "I couldn't stop crying and pulled over but I'm okay."

Jane closed her eyes and felt her heart breaking for her daughter, wishing she could hold her in her arms. "We love you, honey," she said quietly. "Whatever you're feeling, it's okay to feel it. Just remember that, alright?"

"Yeah." Rachel sniffled again. "I love you too. Get better soon, okay?"

"I'm doing the best I can." Jane smirked and heard a slight smile back in Rachel's voice. "Call Morgan, honey. She's at home now."

"I will." Rachel sighed and wiped her eyes with what sounded like a tissue. "Bye, Ma."

"Bye, baby." Jane waited until Rachel hung up the phone before hanging up herself and putting her phone back on the small table.

"It finally hit her, didn't hit?" Maura said with a sad smile.

"Yeah."

"It was smart of you to tell her to call Morgan." Maura smiled and squeezed Jane's arm. "They need each other."

Jane just hummed and felt Anna stirring in her arms as she opened her eyes, looking sleepily at her mother. "Hi, peanut." Jane smiled and brushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Did you sleep well?"

Anna yawned and nodded slowly. "I guess."

"Good afternoon!" The nurse came into the room with a bright smile on her face. "Mrs. Rizzoli, it's time for a check-up. The doctor will be here shortly so I just wanted to prepare you, if that's okay?"

"Sure." Jane kissed Anna's temple before the girl slid off the bed and pulled up a chair next to Maura while the nurse examined Jane for what felt like the millionth time. Pushing on her stomach. Shining that awful light in her eyes. Checking the cast on her leg. Pushing her stomach again, checking for bruises. She wished they would stop doing that. She wished they would just leave her alone and let her spend time with her wife and children. She just wanted to go home.

Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes and she frantically tried to blink them away but she failed. They burned as they trickled down her cheeks and she closed her eyes while the nurse lowered her sweatpants to take a look at her lower stomach, feeling her warm hands doing their routine. Her tears fell into her hair as she rested back against the pillow and just let everything overwhelm her for a while. She was vaguely aware of Maura's soft lips pressing against her temple and her hand gently wiping her tears while she whispered soothing words of love, but she kept her eyes closed and tried to stop her tears from falling.

"I just want to go home," she whispered, her voice high-pitched and strangled with tears.

"I know, my love," Maura's voice was close to her ear and she felt her hand on her head making soft and gentle strokes. "I know you do."

The doctor came in and examined her and she just all let it happen, not paying attention to any of it. She hated that everyone saw her crying but a part of her didn't even care. She was just too tired. Too exhausted. When the doctor and the nurse left, leaving Maura, Anna and Jane in the room, Maura whispered something in Anna's ear that made the girl pull a book out of her backpack and shift sideways in the chair while she opened it and immediately got lost in the story.

Maura gently moved her wife a few inches and sat down on the bed next to her wife before wrapping her arms around the slightly taller brunette, placing her hand on the side of Jane's head to pull her closer and kiss her temple. "I love you, Jane," she whispered into her dark curls. "We'll get through this. I love you so, so much."

"I love you too," Jane mumbled through her tears that kept falling. She knew they would get through this. She knew that in a few days or weeks she would be back home and she would heal and everything would be okay but right now, she just wanted to be in her wife's arms and cry. The strong, tough Detective Rizzoli got lost for a moment and had to make place for the broken brunette that had been through too much the past few months. She just wanted to go home. And right now, in Maura's soft, warm arms, with her loving kisses, soothing whispers of comfort and infinite love, she was home.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Finally, she was home. No more nurses coming in to check her, no more doctors, no more hospital food and no more missing her family. Jane smiled to herself when she hopped towards the front door on those awful crutches. She was home.

Maura opened the door for her and carried her bag inside before helping Jane on the couch, covering her with a blanket and fluffing a pillow she already put out for her wife. Jane put her leg up on a stack of pillows, hating how the cast itched her foot while her stomach felt bruised and her head felt heavy. But compared to last week, she felt a million times better.

"When will the girls be home?" Jane asked, resting her head sideways against the back of the couch while she looked at her wife in the kitchen.

"Lily should be here soon; the Jones family is driving her. I believe Anna wanted to stop by the library after school, she might bring Morgan with her." Maura poured a cup of tea for her wife and put it on the coffee table before carefully sitting down on the edge of the couch. "How are you feeling?" she asked while she brushed a few dark curls out of Jane's face.

Jane hummed and closed her eyes at the gentle touch of her wife. "Tired, but a lot better now that I'm home."

Maura smiled and leaned forward to capture Jane's lips in a sweet kiss. "I'm happy to have you back home," she whispered. "The house has been way too empty." She kissed her wife again, lightly grazing her lips against hers. "The bed has been cold."

Jane smiled and lifted her arm to cup Maura's freckled cheek and looked into her eyes. "I love you," she whispered with a loving smile. "So much."

"I love you too." Maura smiled brightly and kissed her again, this time with more passion.

When they broke apart, Jane's stomach was tingling instead of hurting and she closed her eyes to savor the feeling for a moment. She hummed contently.

"Would you like something to eat? You didn't have much for lunch today."

Jane shrugged slightly. "I'm not that hungry."

Maura sighed and pressed her lips against Jane's forehead. "How about some fruit?"

"Fine." Jane knew Maura would prepare it for her anyway. She kissed her again before she stood up and headed towards the kitchen while the back door opened and Lily walked into the house, her backpack sliding across the floor. She looked tired.

"Hi, baby." Maura smiled and stopped peeling a banana to lean down and kiss Lily's forehead. "How was school?"

Lily shrugged and put her backpack up on the kitchen counter. "Fine. We-… Mama!" She had noticed her mother and ran towards the couch with a big smile on her face.

Jane chuckled and opened her arms for the little girl, carefully pulling her next to her on the couch while kissing the side of her head. "Oh, hi pretty girl." She looked into familiar dark eyes.

"Welcome home." Lily smirked and snuggled against her mother.

"Lily? I'm preparing some fruit for Mama, would you like one?"

Lily didn't reply. She just kept herself snuggled against Jane without hearing her mother.

"Lily?" Maura furrowed her brow and put the banana down. "Lily! Lillian!"

Lily lifted her head and looked at her mother in the kitchen with her brow furrowed. "What?"

"Where are your hearing aids?" Jane brushed Lily's dark curls back and saw that she wasn't wearing them.

"Oh." Lily's expression fell. "They're in my backpack."

"Why?"

"I forgot my batteries." Lily looked guilty and fumbled with the blanket that was thrown over Jane's legs. "I'm sorry."

Maura sighed and opened Lily's bag to look for them. Lily was supposed to tell her mothers when she ran out of those tiny batteries so they could replace them and she would always have enough batteries with her in school. But sometimes she just forgot, like any eight-year-old would. "It's okay." Maura found the hearing aids and opened a drawer to get out new batteries.

"Mommy says it's okay," Jane said to her daughter while looking at her so she could understand.

Lily smiled in relief and nuzzled herself into the small space that was left on the couch, her head resting on her mother's chest while Jane gently rubbed her hand up and down the girl's back and kissed the top of her head. A day without her hearing aids exhausted Lily and Jane knew she hadn't heard half of the classes of that day.

"Here you go," Maura walked towards the couch and handed the hearing aids back to Lily. "Do you want to put them back in?"

Lily shook her head on Jane's chest. She lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes while a big yawn escaped her, eliciting a loving smile from Maura who leaned over the back of the couch and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "Okay, just for this once, honey," she said softly. "Let's make your world stay quiet for a little longer."

Lily didn't hear her mother and just kept herself on her mother's chest, her muscles relaxing as her eyes closed. "I'm happy you're back home, Mama," she said softly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, baby," Jane replied, despite knowing Lily couldn't hear her. She pulled her closer in her arms, ignoring the pain the movement caused in her stomach. "I love you."

She expected Lily to fall asleep but the girl stayed awake and simply allowed herself to relax and do nothing for a few minutes, too tired to speak or do her homework. And for just this once, her mothers allowed it.

Jane almost fell asleep when the front door opened and startled her awake. Morgan walked into the house, followed by Anna whose shoulders were dropped and Jane saw she was holding back her tears.

"Hi, girls." Maura smiled but her smile fell when she looked at Anna. The left leg of her pants was stained with mud and her jacket was wet. "What happened?"

Anna shook her head, dropped her bag and hurried upstairs.

"Morgan?" Jane carefully sat up and felt Lily sliding off the couch to retrieve her hearing aids.

Morgan looked angry, her fists balled at her side, her brow furrowed. "They got to her after school," she said, her voice shaking.

"Who did?" Maura walked out of the kitchen.

"Those stupid kids that are always being stupid. They just started calling her names and then Vicky McFrizzbraces just started throwing mud at her! They pushed her in a puddle before I could even start kicking their butts!" 

"My God." Maura gasped and shook her head before hurrying upstairs towards her daughter. Something had to be done about this. She knocked on Anna's bedroom door, finding it closed when she arrived upstairs. "Anna?"

Anna didn't reply and Maura slowly opened the door while she swallowed her tears. She saw her daughter standing in the middle of her room with her head hanging low, wearing just her underwear, her ruined pants next to her on the floor while she pulled off her pink jacket.

"Honey…"

"I didn't even do anything," Anna whispered, her voice laced with tears. She sniffled and let out a quiet sob. "I d-didn't even l-look at them."

"We're going to do something about this, sweetheart," Maura said softly while she approached her daughter and helped her pulling off her jacket and sweater, which were both wet. She wrapped her arms around the slim girl and pulled her in for a tight hug while she kissed the top of her head. "This is not acceptable."

Anna sobbed and wrapped her own arms around her mother's waist, resting her head on the blonde's chest while she cried softly. She had been utterly and completely humiliated for no reason and Maura felt her heart breaking for her little girl. A few tears of her own made their way down her cheeks while she hugged her daughter and comfortingly rubbed her back, feeling the girl crying against her. "We're not letting this happen, Anna," Maura whispered. "We'll make this stop, I promise."

"How?"

Maura sighed. She didn't know. But she was more determined than ever to make this stop. "We'll figure something out. I'm not letting anyone treat my children like this." Maura pulled back and gently cupped Anna's cheek, looking into her grey eyes. "No one throws mud at my beautiful girl," she whispered, fresh tears filling her eyes.

"Why does she do this, Mom?" Anna asked through her tears, her voice strangled with tears.

"I don't know." Maura shook her head and pulled her daughter back to her chest as she kissed the top of her head. "I don't know why anyone would hurt a sweet and beautiful girl like you."

Anna rested the side of her head against her mother's chest and furrowed her brow while she stared at the wall. "Maybe I'm not that sweet and beautiful and that's why she's bullying me…"

"Don't let that little minx doubt you for who you are, my sweet girl." Maura looked into Anna's eyes and looked sternly at her daughter. "Don't let her doubt yourself for one second."

Anna's bottom lip quivered and fresh tears filled her eyes. "Maybe she's right, Mom," she whispered. "Maybe I'm just a nerd."

Maura shook her head and her heart broke when she listened to her daughter's insecurities. "No, honey."

"But I'm always reading and I'm the best in my class and I don't have that many friends…"

"Well," Maura sat down on the edge of Anna's bed and gently pulled the girl next to her, "if being an intelligent, achieving, sweet young girl makes you a nerd, then you should be proud to be one." Maura smiled and brushed Anna's blond hair over her shoulder. She sighed deeply. "You know, I got called the same things when I was your age."

"I know."

"They said I was boring. A nerd. Miss know-it-all." Maura wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled sadly at the memory of that feeling of loneliness. "But you know what? I turned out just fine." She caressed Anna's cheek with the back of her hand. She was anything but lonely. She had so many people that loved her and cared for her. Yes, she had been lonely as a child and her childhood may have left some scars but she wouldn't trade her life for anything in the world. "You, my sweet girl, are kind, intelligent, sensitive… You work hard and you are eager to learn and discover the world. Don't ever think you're anything less than simply amazing."

Maura's sweet words only engaged another flood of tears from Anna and she leaned forward to hide herself in a close embrace with her mother. Maura pulled her close and kissed the side of her head. "If only you knew how beautiful you are," Maura whispered while fresh tears filled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. "Don't let that girl doubt yourself, sweetheart."

Anna managed a small smile through her tears and nodded her head. "Thank you," she whispered barely audible.

Maura just smiled and pressed her lips against Anna's forehead but pulled away when she heard the doorbell. She listened to Morgan opening the door and then Lily's voice calling upstairs. "ANNA!"

Quick footsteps hurried up the stairs and Maura saw Morgan entering Anna's bedroom. "Anna," she panted a bit, "it's Vicky. She's here, with her dad."

Anna's eyes went wide but Maura soothingly rubbed her back. "She's here with her father. It'll be okay."

Anna sighed deeply and pulled herself together before wiping the last of her tears from her cheeks. Maura smiled at her daughter's bravery and pulled a pair of clean, dry pants out of her closet. "Here, baby." She handed them to Anna along with a warm sweater which she pulled over her daughter's head.

Downstairs, a young girl was waiting for them, her hair was dark and frizzy and an average-sized, middle-aged man stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. Vicky had been crying. Her eyes were red and she looked down at her feet.

"Hello," Maura greeted them, placing her hands on Anna's shoulders just like Vicky's dad did with his daughter.

"Hi," the man smiled. He had kind eyes and looked at them with sympathy. "My name is Thomas, I'm Victoria's father."

"Nice to meet you." Maura smiled at the man and looked at Jane who had already introduced herself and was sitting up on the couch, trying to find a position that wouldn't hurt her stomach.

"Victoria here has something to say."

The girl looked at Anna and her bottom lip quivered while tears filled her large dark eyes. "I-… I'm sorry, Anna," she said through her tears. "I'm sorry I was so horrible to you. I'll never do it again, I promise."

Anna, stunned by Vicky's words, stayed silent and just stuttered a small 'okay.

"I heard about what happened after school today," Thomas said. "I had a talk with Victoria and I think she owes you the biggest apology in the world." He smiled kindly at Anna. "That's why we came here."

"Thank you," Anna said softly.

"You did something very horrible, Victoria," Maura said softly, her tone gentle but determined.

"I know. I know…" Vicky took a deep breath and fresh tears filled her eyes while Thomas squeezed her shoulders and silently told her to continue. "My mom left us," Vicky started softly, "and I know it's not an excuse for what I did b-but I miss her and I really, really hate myself," she hiccupped and looked down at her feet, "I can't even look in the mirror without gagging because I'm so ugly and then you come along and you always look so pretty and you even have two sweet moms and-… and I just tried to make myself feel better by kicking you down and that was so wrong…" Her breath hitched in her throat and she shook her head, still staring at the floor.

Maura felt Anna leaning closer towards her, Morgan just looked at her classmate with wide eyes and her mouth open, Lily sat next to Jane with her brow furrowed in confusion and Thomas had tears in his eyes listening to his daughter.

"I don't think you should gag when you look in the mirror," Anna said softly, suddenly breaking the heavy silence. "I don't think you're ugly at all."

Vicky looked up at Anna, tears falling down her cheeks, her eyes wide in surprise. "W-what?"

Anna shrugged. "I don't think you're ugly."

Vicky let out a sad chuckle and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. "I don't think you're a nerd," she replied softly. "You're just really smart."

Anna smiled through her tears.

"You're everything I want to be and I made the others join me in picking on you and I thought that would make me feel better but it didn't."

Maura's tears slowly trickled down her cheeks and she unconsciously pulled Anna closer into her front, admiring how adult her daughter was reacting to all of this. She was so smart. So caring and so gentle. It would have been so easy for her to look down on Vicky and it would have been so easy to hate her. But she didn't choose the easy way. She took the right way. The way of forgiveness.

A short silence fell and Thomas smoothed his daughter's hair with a small smile while Vicky looked up at him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, to both her father and Anna. "I mean it. Not just because my father sent me here."

Anna smiled. "Thank you."

"Would you like something to drink?" Maura asked but Thomas shook his head.

"We have to go."

"See you tomorrow?" Vicky asked, raising her eyebrows. "I-… I really am sorry. I won't do it again."

Anna just nodded. Maura sensed hesitation in her daughter. She wanted to forgive Vicky but Maura knew she wanted to see it first before she fully believed it. "See you tomorrow," she answered with a nod.

"Thank you." Thomas nodded his head at the women in the room and gently led his daughter towards the front door.

When they closed the door behind them, Morgan slowly walked into the living room, her eyes still wide in disbelief. "Wow. You think she meant it?"

Anna shrugged. "I think so, yeah."

"She seemed honest," Jane said while she leaned back against the couch. "I guess we'll have to see how it goes in school tomorrow."

Anna nodded and leaned back against her mother while Maura wrapped her arms around the girl's chest and kissed the back of her head. "You were very brave," Maura whispered. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

Anna smiled and turned in the embrace. "Everyone has their pain," she said softly. "Everyone deserves a second chance, I think."

Maura smiled lovingly and brushed her fingers through her daughter's blond hair. "I think so too."

"Yeah, but two is enough, Anna." Morgan said while she walked into the kitchen to get herself something to drink. "If she acts like this again, I'm going to kick her butt big time."

Anna chuckled. "Yeah. Two chances, that's it."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Ma!" Anna came running into the bedroom where Jane was watching TV with her foot up on a few pillows, that damn cast still itching her leg.

"Hi, peanut!" Jane smiled and turned off the sound of the TV. "How was school?"

"Good!" Anna hopped up on the bed, eliciting a surprised smile from Jane. She usually wasn't the girl that hopped and screamed for her mother. She was in a good mood. "Look, Ma." She handed her mother her phone with an article on it. It was about human trafficking.

"What's this?"

"You know that charity I donated my birthday money to?" Anna sat comfortably next to her mother against the pillows. "They did a huge rescue this week! Look," she scrolled down the page, "they raided a small house in Indiana and found like, ten women who were being sold to here. They came from Russia, Serbia and some other places I think."

"Mumbai." Jane read the article with interest.

"Yeah. Some were even underage." Anna sighed and shook her head. "They helped to arrest those pigs and saved the girls." She smiled up at her mother. "Partly because of our money."

Jane smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. "That's great news."

"I know, right?" Anna put her phone away and smiled. "I know the problem is way bigger but at least those women are saved, you know? They get to have a life now."

"Yeah." Jane looked at her daughter's beautiful smile and felt her heart bursting with love. Anna had such a big heart. "How did it go with Vicky today?"

"Fine. She said hi to me and then just went to her own friends." She rested herself against Jane's side.

"And those friends? Did they say anything?"

"No." Anna shook her head. "I think they were talking about me behind my back because Vicky acted different, but I don't care about that."

"Hm." Jane pursed her lips and rested her cheek against the top of Anna's head that rested on her shoulder. "So it's looking good then, right?"

"Yep." She smiled and sighed contently when a short silence fell. "Ma?"

"Hm?"

"What happens when someone dies in prison?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" she hesitated and fumbled with her shirt. "Morgan and I were talking about what happened to her mother. You know, did she have a funeral or something?"

"I heard she got cremated." Jane rubbed her hand up and down Anna's arm. "I don't think there was a memorial service or anything, she had no one."

Anna nodded. "Yeah. Did they catch the person that killed her?"

"No." Jane sighed deeply. Anyone that was working for Paddy Doyle was nearly impossible to find. Chances were pretty big the killer had already left the country by now. "I think a part of the team is still working on it but there was another murder two days ago and they're busy with that now."

Anna furrowed her brow. "It's kind of sad, don't you think? That someone can be so messed up they hurt their own husband and kids and then try to kill someone to get her kids back… She must have been _so_ messed up."

"Really messed up." Jane rested her cheek back against Anna's forehead and thought about her daughter's words. She had no idea how anyone could get as messed up as Janet Matthews.

"Morgan said Amelia got arrested," Anna said after a short silence.

"Yeah, she's right."

"Is she in prison?"

"She is right now but she'll probably make bail."

Anna groaned softly. "That's stupid."

"Yep." Jane nodded, but she knew Amelia wouldn't be much of a threat any longer when Janet was gone. She wouldn't work alone. "So Morgan's still thinking about it a lot, huh?"

"Yeah…" Anna nodded carefully and hesitated for a moment. "She doesn't want to bother you and Mom with it, 'cause you have enough on your minds as it is."

"She can talk to us, she knows that."

Anna shrugged. "Yeah but it's so complicated for her, you know?"

"I know." Jane sighed and made a mental note to have a talk with Morgan to make sure she could talk to them about anything she wanted to. She placed a kiss on the side of Anna's head and carefully straightened her back, feeling a slightly bruising feeling in her stomach instead of the previous ache. "Can you get those crutches for me, baby?" Jane asked, pointing at those things she hated in the corner of the room. "I want to get downstairs."

Anna nodded and retrieved the crutches for her mother, handing them to her before helping her up. "You okay?"

Jane smiled at her caring little girl while she hopped on one leg, holding the leg with the cast up above the floor. "Yeah."

Anna hurried towards the door to open it and sweetly put her hand on Jane's back when she passed her, trying to steady her mother. Jane managed to hop herself down the stairs, feeling like she ran a marathon when she arrived downstairs.

"Ma!" Morgan looked at her with wide eyes. "Mom said you can't walk stairs on your own anymore!"

Jane smirked and hopped herself towards the couch where she sat down. "Anna helped me."

Morgan huffed and turned around in the kitchen. "You want something to drink? Mom made juice."

"Thanks." Jane smiled at her daughter, looking at her grabbing the juice out of the fridge and pouring a glass for her mother. "Where's Lily?"

"Outside." Morgan put a glass on the coffee table for Jane while holding her own glass in her hands as she sat down next to her mother. She took a sip and put her feet up on the couch.

"How was school?"

"Fine." Morgan shrugged. "They left Anna alone, so that's good."

"Hm, I heard." Jane smiled and felt Morgan resting against her side. "Let's hope it stays that way."

"I'll kick their asses if it doesn't."

Jane chuckled and felt pride at Morgan's protectiveness for Anna. "Don't let your mom hear that."

Morgan giggled. "Y'know, I'm pretty sure Mom could kick their butts too if she wanted to."

"Oh, she could. Big time." Jane smirked, thinking about her wife's temper that only came to the surface every now and then. "All that yoga isn't as useless as it seems."

Morgan laughed and rested her head on Jane's shoulder as she carefully leaned into her side. "When will Mom be home?"

"Soon, probably. Why?"

"I need help with chemistry, that's such a stupid subject! Why do we need chemistry? It should be banned from all schools. It's the most useless thing ever."

Jane chuckled at the way Morgan worked herself up. "I know, baby. But you need it to pass so you better work on it with Mom then."

Morgan sighed. "I guess." She sipped on her juice and waited for her other mother to come back home, which didn't take long fortunately.

While Maura helped Morgan with her homework, Jane managed to cook dinner while sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter and cutting up vegetables while telling Anna what to do with them. Lily played outside and only came in for food, like the little Rizzoli she was.

That night, the sunny weather had to make place for a drizzling rain that made the world greyer and darker than it should be at the time of day. Maura sat on the porch with a file in her lap, making notes for her colleague while the drain dribbled on the grass in the backyard, making the world smell fresh and crisp.

When Maura turned to the second-to-last page, Lily came outside, slowly walking up to her mother. Maura smiled at her, chuckling at how big her curls were due to the humidity outside. "Hi, baby."

Lily just smiled and grabbed the file from Maura's lap, closing it before climbing in her lap, resting sideways against her chest.

Maura chuckled as she watched her determined little girl putting the file away. "What's going on?"

Lily shrugged. "Mama said you need to stop working."

"Oh, did she?" Maura laughed and wrapped her arms around the young girl, kissing the side of her head. "And she couldn't come and tell me that herself?"

Lily shook her head. "I think she's in pain," she said softly. "She's on the couch with her eyes closed and she keeps rubbing her forehead and she got a little angry at Morgan when she made noise."

"Hm." Maura pursed her lips and rested her chin on top of Lily's head. "She needs to take her medicine."

"She already did."

"Good." Maura gently rocked her little girl from side to side while she listened to the rain. She felt Lily tucking up her feet and snuggling into her arms, eliciting a sweet smile. "You need to stop growing, sweetheart," Maura said with a slight chuckle. "You're getting so big!"

"I can't help it!" Lily raised her hands. "It's not like I'm doing it on purpose."

Maura laughed and shook her head. "I know."

"I'm gonna be nine soon." Lily smiled and looked up at her mother. "Then I'm close to ten!"

Maura nodded, brushing her daughter's untamed curls back. "That's true. We should start planning your birthday soon."

"Can I have chocolate cake on my birthday?"

"Yes, you can." Maura chuckled and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"And you can't do any work on my birthday, okay?" Lily looked at her mother, her dark eyes stern.

"Oh, baby, I can't promise that." Maura's smile fell and she gently caressed Lily's cheek. "I'll try my best to clear my schedule, okay?"

Lily seemed satisfied with that promise and nodded her head before snuggling back against her mother. "Can we have potato chips on my birthday too?"

Maura chuckled. "You and your snacks. Yes, you can have chips. But you can have chips or popcorn every weekend, remember?"

"Yeah but only on Fridays and Saturdays." Lily shifted so she sat with her back against her mother's front so she could look at the backyard, Maura's arms wrapping around the girl's stomach from behind.

Maura pulled her daughter close and placed a kiss on the back of her head. "I love you, my pretty girl," she whispered. She rested her cheek against Lily's head and looked at the rain. "My little sunshine."

"It's raining," Lily said with a small chuckle, "I'm not doing a very good job if I'm a sunshine."

Maura smiled. "You're doing a wonderful job lighting up my heart."

"Ugh." Lily stuck out her tongue and giggled when Maura tickled her stomach. "No tickling!"

"No sticking out your tongue!"

Lily giggled and grabbed Maura's hands to make her stop. "Alright, alright!"

"Lils," Jane's voice announced her arrival on the porch where she stumbled towards her wife and daughter. "It's bedtime, baby."

Lily pouted. "Already?"

"It's late." Jane sat down next to her wife and pushed the crutches away.

"Mama's right, honey." Maura let her girl go and untangled her arms. "Bedtime."

Lily sighed and turned to wrap her short arms around Maura's neck for a goodnight hug. "G'night, Mommy."

"Good night, sweetheart. I'll be upstairs soon." Maura smiled, kissed her daughter's cheek and watched her saying goodnight to Jane before walking upstairs, getting ready for bed so Maura could tuck her in later.

Jane sighed and moved closer towards her wife. Her head was pounding and her stomach ached. Her foot itched and her leg felt sore from being in a different position for so long. She was tired. Tired of being sick and unable to live her life the way she wanted to.

"How are you feeling?" Maura asked softly, her soft hands brushing Jane's hair from her face.

Jane shrugged. "Like hell."

Maura sighed and leaned in to press her lip against Jane's temple. "My love," she whispered. "I wish I could take it away."

Jane took a deep breath and fought the tears that welled up in her eyes. She wanted to get back to her life. She wanted to get better and be the Jane Rizzoli she wanted to be. She wanted her girls to be happy, she wanted to get back to work and come home to her gorgeous wife and spend her nights making love with the gorgeous blonde. "I'm okay," she whispered hoarsely.

"You're not," Maura whispered back, gently brushing her fingers through Jane's curls. "But you will be."

Jane smiled slightly and slumped down in her seat, closing her eyes while she listened to the rain. "We should talk to Morgan," she said softly.

"Hm?"

"About her mother and all, y'know? I think she's afraid to bother us."

Maura sighed and linked her arm with Jane's, carefully shifting closer. "Poor thing," she whispered. She took a deep breath, pressed a kiss on Jane's cheek and stood up from her seat. "I'll go tuck Lily in."

Jane nodded and opened her eyes, looking at the backyard that was now almost completely dark. She took her time to try and relax her body and let her frustrations go. She tried to take the deep, cleansing breaths Maura had told her about so many times and much to her surprise, it kind of worked. At least she was home. At least she was with her wife and children.

"Ma?" Quiet footsteps entered the porch and Jane opened her eyes to see Morgan. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Jane smiled and turned her head to look at her daughter. "I'm okay."

Morgan nodded and smiled slightly, turning around until Jane stopped her. "Hey, you wanna come sit for a second?"

Morgan shrugged. "Sure." She sat down next to her mother and Jane wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Jane kissed the top of Morgan's head. "I just wanted to let you know we're here for you, you know?"

"What?" Morgan chuckled and furrowed her brow. "Yeah, I know."

"Just-… I mean… I know there's a lot going on in your head right now and you have to know you can always talk to us about anything."

Morgan's smile fell and she nodded her head. "I know." She sighed and fumbled with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm just confused I guess."

"Hm." Jane brushed the girl's dark hair behind her ear. "That's only natural."

"I'm technically like… An orphan now, right?"

"Well, no. We adopted you, so you're our daughter."

"Yeah but I mean… Biologically?"

"Just because you no longer have biological parents," Maura said while she walked up to the two of them after tucking Lily into bed, "doesn't mean you're an orphan." She smiled and sat down on the other side of Morgan. "Family doesn't come from DNA only. You're a part of our family and you will be for the rest of your life."

Morgan smiled and looked down at her feet. "I don't have any biological parents anymore," she said softly. "So if you ever get tired of me I'm screwed."

"Hey!" Jane nudged Morgan's shoulder. "Don't get such crazy ideas!"

Maura chuckled and kissed the side of Morgan's head before wrapping her arms around the young girl. "We're not going to get tired of you and you won't be _screwed_ in any way."

Morgan smiled the first real smile of that night and nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Honey," Maura placed her hand on Morgan's cheek to look into her eyes, "you can talk to us, you know that, right? We're never too busy for you and we want to know what's going on with you," she smiled and sweetly brushed her dark hair back, "my sweet girl."

"Well…" Morgan sighed. "Right now I'm just confused, that's all."

"That's okay," Jane replied. "Confused seems pretty appropriate."

Morgan chuckled and tucked her feet up on the bench while she snuggled in between her mothers. "Yeah. I'll tell you when I move on to a different feeling."

"Good." Jane smiled and looked at Maura over Morgan's head, seeing a sweet smile curling her pink lips. "We'll be here for all the feelings."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It was a cloudy day in Boston and the smell of grass and rain hung in the air while Jane and Maura watched their youngest daughter playing her weekly baseball game. The team was up by five points and Lily was thriving with motivation and determination. Her short legs were running as fast as they could carry the ten-year-old and her ponytail was bouncing on her back. She smiled whenever Jane cheered her on and furrowed her brow in concentration when Jane gave her tips from the sideline.

Maura smiled when she looked at her wife, her cheeks were pink and glowing again. She only had a support bandage around her ankle to make sure it didn't move too much but other than that, she was as good as new. Her stomach healed well and she was back to the old Jane Rizzoli. Maura had never been more grateful. She hated to see her wife so helpless and out of character. She missed the cheerful, determined, fierce Jane Rizzoli she was so lucky to call her wife. Even when she was yelling and probably embarrassing their daughter, she was still head over heels in love with her Detective.

She gently took Jane's hand in hers, effectively interrupting a scream.

"LILY! THAT'S IT-… What?"

Maura shook her head and chuckled. "Nothing. Just calm down a bit, okay?"

"Right, yeah." Jane nodded and turned her attention back to the game. "She's kicking butt today. Look how fast she is."

"Like mother, like daughter." Maura smiled and moved closer towards her wife, squeezing her hand while she watched Lily catching a ball, eliciting a proud scream from Jane. Lily smiled proudly at her mothers, that smile that was so similar to Jane's. As Lily got older, her limbs got longer and skinnier. Her curls got lighter and was now actually a few shades lighter than Jane's but her eyes were just as deep and brown and her features just as sharp. She was beautiful and was growing up to be Maura's absolute weak spot. Another one.

Maura looked to the side and saw Morgan walking towards them, peeling a banana while she looked at the game. She stood still in front of Maura and Maura placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Did you find Grace?"

"Yeah, she's on the other side." Morgan took a bite of her banana. She had been looking for a classmate that visited the baseball team's games just like the Rizzoli family did. Just Anna stayed home. She would pick a quiet afternoon at home with a good book over a loud, crowded baseball game every time. She only visited the really important games to support Lily but on an afternoon like this she was happiest when she could snuggle into her reading chair and get lost in her books.

"The team is on fire, right Ma?" Morgan looked up at Jane with a smile.

"They sure are." Jane nodded and grinned proudly, looking at the clock to see there were only a few minutes left in the game. "They only need a few more points to end up first in the tournament for now."

Morgan nodded and leaned back into Maura's front while she ate her banana and looked at the rest of the game. Lily managed a rather impressive sprint and got her team a few more points, causing them to break out into cheers as soon as the ending signal sounded across the field.

"MAMA! Mama, did you see that?!" Lily came running towards her mother, pulling off her glove before she almost crashed into them. "Did you see that?"

"I sure did!" Jane smiled happily and wrapped her arms around the young girl, picking her up and swinging her through the air. "You were amazing! My little fireball!"

Lily laughed proudly when Jane put her back down. "We have a really good chance to win the tournament now!"

Jane nodded and Maura saw a smile of ultimate pride in her eyes. Lily worked hard and she loved to play sports and her parents were beyond proud of the little girl. "You did a great job, honey," Maura tucked a loose curl into Lily's ponytail.

Lily jumped with happiness and turned around when someone of the team called her name. "Yeah!" She wanted to run away but Maura stopped her.

"Lily! Don't take too long! We're waiting."

"Kay!" Lily nodded and ran towards her teammates where she was greeted with smiles and cheers.

Maura chuckled and shook her head while she wrapped her arm around Jane's waist next to her. "I think this game made her very popular with the team."

Jane smirked and put her arm around her wife's shoulders while she kissed Maura's temple. "Yeah."

Maura looked at her wife, seeing her eyes sparkling again and her cheeks pink with excitement. "I'm happy to have you back," she whispered softly. She reached up to brush her wife's dark curls back and met with deep brown eyes that looked at her with a loving sparkle. "I missed you."

Jane, stunned for a moment by her wife's sentiment, just smiled and pressed her lips against Maura's forehead. "I'm back."

"Excuse me," a short, bald man walked up to the two women. He was wearing a brown coat and holding a hat in his hand. "I'm going to have to ask you to keep your affection out of sight."

"Excuse me?" Jane furrowed her brow and pulled away from her wife.

"This," he motioned at the women that still had their arms wrapped around each other's waists, "is not very appropriate on a baseball field full of kids, don't you think?"

Jane's jaw flexed and she stepped towards the man. "You mean I'm not allowed to put my arm around my wife? You think kids will be damaged forever because they witness love between two human beings?"

"Human beings, no. Two women, yes."

"Oh, please give me a break!" Jane growled and Maura tensed next to her wife, feeling her aggression bubbling up.

"Come on, Jane," Maura said softly, "let's go home."

Jane gritted her teeth together but nodded her head when she felt Maura's arm wrapping tighter around her waist. She decided to let it slide and turned around to follow her wife away from the field to go look for Lily who just came walking out of the dressing rooms, throwing her backpack on her back. "Were you talking to Mr. Travis?"

"I don't even wanna know." Jane's lips were a sharp stripe and anger still burned in her eyes. Things like this happened often. Usually the two women were careful and sometimes even reluctant to show affection in public but apparently just a kiss on her forehead could set some people off.

"Who's Mr. Travis?"

"He's Charlotte's father." Lily zipped up her jacket and walked with her family towards the car. "Charlotte's an idiot." 

"That's not a very kind thing to say."

"She has nothing kind to say to me either!" Lily shot an angry look at her mother and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "She's always being stupid about you guys."

"About us?" Maura furrowed her brow and pushed the button on her car keys to unlock the doors.

"Yeah, y'know 'cause I have two moms and all." Lily shrugged and opened the door to the backseat, throwing her bag in first before climbing in herself.

"Really?" Jane sat in the passenger seat and looked over her shoulder at her youngest daughter.

Lily nodded. "Yeah, but it's just stupid stuff. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"What does she say?" Morgan asked while she put her seatbelt on.

"That it's wrong and that you're going to hell. But I told her to go to hell." Lily grinned proudly and Maura bit her lip when she heard her daughter's language.

"Language, Lily."

"What?" Lily raised her hands. "I'm not letting anyone say things like that about you guys!"

"Yeah, she's wrong," Jane said while Maura took off to take her family home. "So wrong. But you can't tell people to go to hell, Lil."

Lily crossed her arms and her dark eyes turned hard. "She does it too."

"And when she jumps off a bridge, you will too?"

"No, if she jumps off a bridge I'll jump in the air 'cause I will be happy!"

"Lillian!" Maura shot an angry look at her daughter in the rearview mirror. "No matter how unpleasant a person is, it's not appropriate to say things like that."

Lily huffed and slumped down in her seat. "Using my full name," she mumbled to herself, "just 'cause someone else is being an idiot to me all the time."

Maura sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead while she stopped at a red light. "Does she often bother you?"

Lily shrugged. "I'm not saying."

"Oh, don't be so stubborn."

"You full-named me!"

"Watch your tone, young lady!"

"Alright, alright," Jane raised her hands and stopped her wife and daughter's argument. "Let's just take a break, okay? Lily, watch your tone towards your mother and Maur, take it easy on her, alright?"

Maura pursed her lips and focused on the road when the light turned green.

"I'm only standing up for you guys," Lily mumbled from the backseat, "y'know, some parents would be proud."

"Lily, we're done with this now. We'll talk at home when we're all calmed down." Jane turned to look at her daughter. "Please?"

Lily looked out of the window, her dark brow furrowed in anger as her fists balled together. "Unfair."

"Lily."

"Alright, alright!" She huffed and stayed silent until the family arrived home where Lily immediately took off to run upstairs and slam her bedroom door shut.

"God, how many times have I told her not to slam the doors?" Maura raised her hands in frustration and put the car keys on the kitchen counter.

"You're a little hard on her, Maura," Jane said softly. "You know she's only trying to stand up for us. That Charlotte girl sounds like she's trying to evoke Lily. You know how she is."

"Yes, I know! She's just like you!"

Jane raised her eyebrows. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing." Maura sighed and shook her head while she rubbed her forehead and watched Morgan silently grabbing one of the laptops of the house and open it while she sat down in a chair and started playing a game. "I'm saying…" Maura dropped her hand and looked at her wife. "She speaks from the heart. She can be impulsive. I-… I would like to teach her to be kinder."

"I don't want her to be kind to douchebags like that, Maur."

"I do." Maura looked into Jane's eyes, slightly surprised by their difference in opinion on this. "I want her to be kind to her enemies and not call them names and be mean to them."

"Maura, did you hear what that girl is saying about us?"

"Yes, awful things!"

"Yeah! She has the right to stand up for herself and her family."

Maura sighed deeply. She didn't feel like having an argument with her wife. Not at this time. "I don't want her to be reckless like you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Maura knew she said something wrong. She saw Jane's expression turning hard and her hands dropping to her side. She didn't speak another word and just turned around and walked upstairs.

Maura leaned her hands on the kitchen counter and felt tears burning behind her closed eyelids. She didn't mean what she said. Or did she? Jane had been reckless. She wanted to solve the case, she wanted justice and she took herself for granted. She so often didn't think before she went to talk to a suspect or whenever she went into a dangerous situation. And yes, as awful as it was, she didn't want Lily to grow up to be the same. She wanted to teach Lily to think before she speaks and to think about the consequences of her actions.

A few minutes later, when Maura had calmed down and when she was sure Jane would have calmed down too, she slowly walked upstairs and heard Jane's voice coming from Lily's bedroom.

"Mom has a point, you know," Jane said softly. "You shouldn't wish for people to go to hell. It doesn't matter if she does the same."

"I just said it because she said it too," Lily answered softly. "I didn't think about it."

"Right. And that's where you and I both need to be better. We need to think before we say things."

"Yeah." Lily sighed deeply and Maura heard the girl shifting. "She can't say you're going to hell, though."

"No. No one can, that's the thing."

"No one?"

"Nope. I don't know if I believe in heaven and hell but I do know that I was always taught that God is the only one that can judge if someone goes to heaven or hell. No one in the world can say that."

"So Charlotte should read that bible of hers a little better than." Lily had a smirk in her voice and Maura smiled while she leaned her head back against the wall.

"She should, yeah."

A short silence fell until Lily's soft voice said, "Mom's mad at me, isn't she?"

Jane sighed. "I don't know, baby."

"I know she's mad."

"I think she's mad at me too."

"Why?"

"Because you're so much like me."

Tears burned in Maura's eyes and she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"It's not your fault that I'm like you!" Lily said. "Why is she mad about that?"

Jane shrugged. "Maybe one Rizzoli is enough for her," she said softly, mostly to herself. "And maybe now that one Rizzoli is you instead of me. Maybe two Rizzoli's is just one too much."

Maura shook her head and couldn't take it any longer. She slowly opened the door and saw her wife and daughter sitting on the edge of Lily's bed, Jane's left arm wrapped around the girl as they both looked up in surprise.

"You're not too much," Maura whispered. "Neither of you."

"Maur…"

"No." Maura shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I am the luckiest person alive to have two Rizzoli's in my life.

Lily's brow furrowed and she clearly lost track of the conversation.

Maura sat down next to her daughter and pressed her lips against the girl's temple, smelling grass, sweat and the smell of a leather glove. "I love you so much," she whispered while she looked at Jane. "Both of you. I'm sorry about what I said. I just-… I just want her to learn," she whispered. "I want her to be kind."

"You said kinder."

Maura shook her head. "I was wrong. You are kind. And caring and gentle and sweet. I would be happy if she turned out exactly like you. The world will have another sweet soul to cherish."

Jane smiled slightly and brushed her hand up and down Lily's arm. "I don't want her to be as reckless as I am," she said softly. "You were right about that."

Maura nodded. "Yes." She smiled, silently telling Jane that she heard their conversation. She turned her attention towards her little girl and looked into her dark eyes while she cupped her cheek. "My girls are the most precious thing in my life," she whispered, "and I love you with all my heart."

Lily looked at her mother with tears in her eyes, causing Maura's tears to spill on her cheeks. "I'm sorry I'm so much like Ma," Lily said softly.

Maura shook her head and wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter, pulling her close while she kissed the top of her head. "You don't have to be sorry about that. I love that you're so much like Mama. I just don't love it when you treat other people badly."

"Treat others the way you want to be treated," Lily replied quietly, repeating the words Maura had taught her so many times.

"Exactly." Maura pulled back from the embrace and looked at her beautiful little girl. "No matter how badly they treat you."

Lily nodded. "I'll be better towards Charlotte."

"Good." Maura kissed Lily's forehead and looked at her wife over the girl's head. "But you know, it's totally okay to call her out on her awful behavior. You don't have to be friends with her."

"You better not be friends with her!" Jane smirked and caressed Lily's cheek. "You can do way better than her, baby."

Lily chuckled softly. "I'm just gonna ignore her," she said with a shrug. "Maybe that will work."

"That's a very good idea." Maura tucked a loose curl into Lily's ponytail. She knew how hard it was for Lily to ignore it when bad things were being done to her. She hoped Lily would be able to ignore Charlotte and take the high road.

Lily nodded and shifted to untie her shoes and kick them off into a corner of her room.

"Lily," Maura said when Lily stood up from the bed.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." She smiled slightly and looked into her daughter's dark eyes.

Lily smiled. "Me too."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Did you pack the groceries we bought for Rachel?" Jane asked from the kitchen, looking at Maura and Morgan who were getting ready to leave.

"Yep, it's in the blue bag." Morgan nodded and went to the closet to grab her coat. They were getting ready to visit Rachel at college, preparing for a long drive and some much needed time with their oldest sister and daughter.

"I want to come too." Lily pouted and stomped her foot on the floor. "Stupid game tomorrow!"

"Sorry baby, it's gonna be a Mom and Morgan trip this time." Jane squeezed Lily's shoulder and brushed her fingers through Lily's curls. "We'll take a trip of our own one day."

Lily nodded but didn't seem to believe her mother.

"Okay," Maura put on a black leather jacket and turned to cup Lily's face in her hands. "Be nice to Mama," she said before giving her a goodbye kiss. She turned towards Anna who was sitting at the kitchen counter and brushed her hair back while she kissed her forehead. "Bye, sweetheart."

"Bye." Anna smiled and reached up to wrap her arms around Maura's neck. "Say hi to Rachel from me."

"I will." Maura looked at her beautiful girl and gently caressed her cheek before letting her go and wrapping her arms around Jane's neck.

"Drive carefully." Jane's arms went around Maura's waist and she gently kissed her lips. "Morgan's gonna love that hotel you'll stay at."

Maura nodded and looked deeply into her wife's dark eyes. "I hope so."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Jane whispered before leaning in for a loving kiss.

Maura hummed against Jane's lips and smiled when they broke apart. "Bye, my love."

After Morgan gave her mother a hug and told her sisters goodbye, she followed Maura towards the car, threw her bag in the backseat and took her place in the passenger seat.

"Our first road trip," Maura said with a smile while she turned on the engine. "Isn't this exciting?"

Morgan rolled her eyes but her lips curled up in a smile. "Yeah, Mom. Sure."

Maura chuckled and stepped on the gas, taking off towards their oldest daughter at college. The road was packed and it didn't take long until they were stuck in traffic. "We should've left an hour later," Maura said while she drove a few inches forward.

"Nah," Morgan shrugged and slumped down in her seat, smiling when she looked at the road ahead of them.

After a few minutes of silence, Morgan turned her head and looked at her mother. "Mom?"

"Yes?" Maura looked away from the road and looked into questioning blue eyes.

"How did you and Ma meet?"

Maura chuckled at the sudden question. "Well," she smiled when she recalled the memory, "your Ma was undercover, as a prostitute."

"A what?" Morgan's eyes went wide and she shot a look at her mother.

"A prostitute. She was working in the drug unit back then." Maura smiled and drove a few more inches, the pace excruciatingly slow. "I was in line at the police café to get a cup of organic green tea, and your Ma was in front of me getting a coffee. She couldn't find her money so I offered to pay for her."

"Let me guess," Morgan smirked, "she got mad at you, right?"

"She did." Maura smiled. "She did not appreciate my advice, either."

"Well, she still doesn't like it when you tell her to drink less coffee."

"She doesn't." Maura smiled lovingly.

"What happened after that?"

"Well… I started working as an ME at Boston PD, so I came across her quite often. Then, when she transferred to homicide, we started working closer together and we became friends." Maura looked at her daughter next to her, the traffic in front of her not moving a single inch. "I looked up to her; she was the first woman to ever make homicide detective in BPD." 

"Yeah, I know." Morgan grinned proudly.

Maura chuckled and started trying to move the car into a different lane. The sky was getting dark and Maura knew there was a rain storm coming. She could only hope it wouldn't make the traffic worse. "From the first time I saw her, I knew she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Pretty soon I started developing feelings for her but I kept them to myself for a long time."

"Why?"

Maura shrugged. "I don't know, I think I was afraid to scare her off. I had no idea she was having the same feelings for me." Maura sighed when she thought back to that confusing time in her life. She was so incredibly, deeply, head over heels in love with Jane… Her heart would simply burst with love as soon as she did so much as look at the beautiful Detective. Sometimes Jane would just place her hand on Maura's arm or look into her eyes for a second too long and the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't stop dancing for hours. She couldn't remember ever being so desperately in love. "I was totally lost," Maura said softly, lost in thought. "I found myself more in love than I ever was before."

"Ew." Morgan wrinkled her nose, eliciting a slap on her arm from Maura.

"Anyway," she laughed, "after a long time, we both admitted our feelings and started dating. We made it official quite soon. She proposed to me and we got married and pretty soon after we wanted to have children."

"Yeah," Morgan looked up at her mother, "how'd that happen? I mean… You adopted Anna but then you had Lily yourself."

"Yes." Maura nodded and finally got a little more speed. "We tried many times to get pregnant, but the treatment failed again and again."

"Really?" Morgan's eyes were wide as she looked at the blonde next to her.

Maura nodded. "Yes. It was heartbreaking."

"But then you got Anna?"

"We did. We started the adoption process and Anna came along. She was three years old and in need of a home. We fell for her immediately after meeting her."

"But what happened when you got Lily?"

"They made new discoveries in the treatment, which made it possible for me to carry a baby after all. We waited a while after Anna and then tried again, which brought Lily into our lives."

"But… You still need a man, right?"

Maura laughed and nodded her head while she sped the car up again. "We used an anonymous donor."

"Oh." Morgan narrowed her eyes and stared out of the window.

"I got pregnant and we were the happiest people in the world when Lily arrived, and then you and Rachel came along to make our family complete."

"Yeah but you didn't really choose to get us," Morgan said with a smirk. "We just dropped into your family because we lost ours."

Maura looked briefly at her daughter. "We chose to take you in after you lost your family. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Morgan smiled and stayed quiet for a while as she stared out of the window, watching dark clouds coming over the sky. It didn't take long before a few heavy raindrops fell onto the windshield and the rest of the drive it kept on raining.

They chatted about everything and nothing and Maura immensely enjoyed the few quiet hours with her daughter. Morgan asked questions about her mother, her father, school, friends and everything she could think of and Maura tried to answer every single question as well as she could.

When they finally arrived at Rachel's University, it was still raining and the sky was just as dark as it would be at night. Maura parked the car and turned off the engine before stretching her arms and looking at Morgan. "Are you ready to make a run through the rain?"

Morgan chuckled, her hand already on the door. "Yep."

They opened the door at the same time and hurried towards the back to get out their bags before running towards the main entrance, panting and smiling. "Now we just need to find Rachel," Maura said with a chuckle.

"She texted me, she said she's waiting for us at the library."

"Mom! Morgan!" Rachel's voice called out and she walked around a corner, smiling when she saw them. She started running and threw her arms around her mother and sister. It had been weeks since they had seen each other and Maura felt tears in her eyes at the feeling of her teenager finally back in her arms.

She felt Rachel leaning down to kiss the top of Morgan's head and then moving to wrap her arms around her mother.

Maura smiled and pressed a kiss against the side of Rachel's head while she pulled her close. "I missed you, honey."

"I missed you guys too." Rachel pulled back and ruffled her hand through Morgan's short dark hair. "I can't wait to show you everything!"

"Let's go then!" Maura chuckled and squeezed Rachel's arm.

"Let's go to my dorm first to put your stuff away."

"Actually, this is for you." Maura handed Rachel one of the bags. "Just some necessary things like shampoo, snacks, I found a shirt I thought you might like…"

"Wow, thanks," Rachel chuckled and took the bag from her mother before heading towards a different building where her dorm would be. The room was small but cozy. Rachel and her roommate had decorated it with sweet lights and posters and it felt like home.

"Wow Rach, you made it so cool in here!" Morgan put down her bag and looked around the room with wide eyes. "Where's your roommate?"

"She's with her boyfriend, he's in the other building." She pointed at the window towards a different part of the campus. "So what do you want to see first? You want to go get something to drink?"

"Oh I would love to see the library!" Maura clapped her hands together and smiled excitedly.

Rachel chuckled. "Library it is then."

They had seen most of the campus when they dropped Rachel off at college but this was the first time they really saw all of it. Rachel was proud and seemed happy and in her place, which put Maura at ease. Rachel was thriving here.

They had dinner in a small, cozy restaurant and Maura even allowed herself to have a hamburger. She felt alive and happy. When they finished their meal, Maura wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and tucked a strand of hair behind Morgan's ear next to her. "We should be going soon, baby," she said with a smile. "We don't want to get to the hotel too late."

Morgan pouted and rested her head against the back of their booth. "I wish we could stay."

"Me too, honey, but Rachel doesn't have enough room for the both of us."

"Yeah, the floor is not that comfortable." Rachel chuckled and took a sip of her drink. "I'd pick that hotel, Morgan. I bet it's pretty fancy."

"Rachel!" An unfamiliar voice called out and a short, red-haired girl walked up to the three of them.

"Hi!" Rachel smiled and looked at the girl that was probably her roommate. "Mom, Morgan, this is Stephanie."

"Nice to meet you." Maura smiled politely at the girl. She looked nice and seemed to have a sunny personality.

"Likewise. Cool family," she said to Rachel. "Are they staying here overnight?"

"Oh no, we've booked a nice hotel not too far from here."

"Well I hope not too far is really not too far," Stephanie said while her brow furrowed. "You won't be getting far tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen it?" Stephanie pulled her phone out of her back pocket and turned on a weather app. A huge storm was coming their way.

"Oh my goodness." Maura sighed and shook her head. It had been raining pretty hard outside and she only now noticed that the wind was beating against the windows.

Morgan furrowed her brow and looked at Stephanie's phone. "Wow! That's coming for us?"

"Yep, big time. We'll probably lose power again," she said to Rachel. "Good thing we got those candles."

Rachel chuckled. "Yeah."

"What are we gonna do, Mom?" Morgan asked, looking up at her mother with wide eyes.

Maura sighed. "Well, the hotel is an hour from here. I don't think we should risk that."

"There's a motel like, not too from here," Stephanie offered with a shrug. "It's not much, but it's only fifteen minutes away."

"A motel?" Maura tilted her head and wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, Mom in a motel," Rachel smirked and chuckled. "I'd like to see that."

"It's not that bad! I've been there once, it's super clean and the rooms aren't that big but it's fine for two people." Stephanie smiled and put her phone back in her pocket. "You can always use my bed if you want to, I can stay with Kevin."

"Mom, let's go to that motel!" Morgan straightened her back, smiling excitedly. "It's only one letter different from hotel, it must be cool! I've never been to a hotel."

"I don't know, Morgan…"

"C'mon, Mom! It'll be like an adventure or something!" Morgan jumped in her seat.

Maura chuckled and sighed deeply while she rubbed her forehead. "Okay then."

"Yay!" Morgan jumped up higher and pushed her fist in the air. "It's gonna rock, I know it."

Stephanie giggled. "Have fun, I gotta go."

"Bye Stephanie, it was nice to meet you." Maura smiled and waved her daughter's roommate goodbye, leaving the three of them at the table.

"You better leave soon then," Rachel said softly, "if you want to make it before the storm makes it impossible to drive."

Maura smile fell when she saw the sad look on her daughter's face. "Yes," she whispered. She sighed and reached over the table to take Rachel's hand in hers. "It won't be too long until Christmas," she said with a smile.

Rachel smiled sadly and shook her head. "Right."

The small family left the restaurant to get their stuff and Rachel walked them towards the exit, walking slower and slower as they approached the moment of saying goodbye. At the big front door, they stopped and Maura turned to look at her oldest daughter. She smiled and brushed her dark hair back. "I'll miss you, sweetheart," she whispered. "Have fun, try your best in school, call us…"

Rachel nodded and blinked away the tears in her eyes while she wrapped her arms around her mother. She groaned and buried herself in the embrace. "This sucks," she mumbled.

Maura chuckled. "Language, please." She squeezed the girl close. "But it does suck."

"I'll miss you, Mom," Rachel whispered quietly.

Maura nodded and felt tears filling her eyes. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too." Rachel pulled back and swallowed hard. "Give Ma a hug from me, okay? And Lily and Anna too."

"I will."

Rachel moved to wrap her arms around her little sister and kissed the top of her head. "Bye, sis."

"Bye," Morgan's voice was quiet and laced with sadness. "See you at Christmas, right?"

"Yeah." Rachel smiled as she pulled back and pinched Morgan's cheek. "Christmas is like, really soon."

Morgan nodded. "Yeah." She wrapped her short arms around Rachel's waist and squeezed hard. "Bye."

Maura gave her daughter one last kiss before walking into the rain, taking Morgan's hand in hers while they ran towards the car. The storm was hitting hard. Leaves were blowing onto the street and the sound of wind blowing sounded through the streets.

When they arrived at the motel, both Maura and Morgan were cold and wet and hurried inside to get a room. The motel was packed and the only room left was a small one with one large bed and a small bedroom, but it would do for the night.

"I'm so cold," Morgan shivered violently and wrapped her arms around herself while Maura opened the door to their room.

"You should take a warm shower," she said, opening the door with one hand while the other held her bag. "Well," she walked into the room, "Stephanie was right, it's clean."

"Super clean!" Morgan ran into the room and jumped on the bed. "Look how big this bed is!" 

Maura chuckled. It was actually smaller than their bed at home but for the young girl was amazed by all of it. They both took a hot shower and dressed warmly, the storm raging outside.

"That shower is so small," Morgan said while she walked into the room and dried her hair. She shivered and dropped the towel on a chair before climbing into bed next to her mother, snuggling under the warm blankets. "Wow," she whispered. "This storm is crazy."

"Hm." Maura nodded and put her phone away on which she was reading a medical journal. She pulled the blankets higher around her waist and slumped down against the headboard. "I'm afraid it will only get worse during the night."

Morgan nodded and shifted closer towards her mother. "But we're safe here, right?"

"Yes, honey." Maura smiled and tucked a strand of wet hair behind Morgan's ear. "Don't you need to blow dry your hair before you go to sleep? It might get cold."

Morgan shrugged. "Nah, I'm okay." She suppressed a yawn and rested her head back against the pillow. "Can we watch TV?"

Maura nodded and grabbed the remote from the nightstand, handing it to Morgan who looked for something to watch. Just when she found something interesting, a loud thunder rolled through the sky and the entire room suddenly went dark.

"Mom!" Morgan let out a squeal and squeezed Maura's arm.

"Shh, the power went out, that's all," she soothed her daughter. She gently took Morgan's hand away from her arm and tried to find her phone in the dark. She turned on the flashlight and stood up from the bed. "I don't suppose we have any candles here," she said softly while she opened a cabinet.

Morgan sighed. "Stupid storm." 

Maura nodded and got back in the bed, putting her phone away, the room pitch black again. She wrapped her arm around Morgan next to her and pulled the blankets over the two of them. "It's okay, honey," she said with a smile, feeling how tensed Morgan was. "We'll just go to sleep and everything will probably be cleared up tomorrow."

"Yeah," Morgan nodded and snuggled in close against her mother, her skinny arm resting over Maura's stomach.

Maura sighed contently and pulled her daughter into her arms while she got comfortable in between the sheets. "Goodnight, sweetheart," she whispered. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mom," Morgan replied in a sleepy voice. "Goodnight."

 _A/N Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! They all mean a lot to me, I promise. I don't know that much about college in the US so I decided not to name the college and leave it up to your imaginations where Rachel goes : ). Let me know what you think, your opinions matter to me and I love to get reviews! Lots of love!_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It was a little after 3AM when Maura woke up from the sound of desperate whimpers and the feeling of someone tossing and turning next to her. Slowly, the whimpers woke her up and she furrowed her brow before opening her eyes and looking next to her, making out Morgan's small frame in the dark. The power was still out and the storm was beating against the windows of their motel room, but Morgan's whimpers overpowered it all.

"Morgan." Maura shook the girl's shoulder while she lifted herself up on her elbow. "Morgan, wake up honey."

Morgan stirred but Maura's actions did nothing to wake her up. Her forehead was shining with sweat and her whimpers only got louder and louder. "No! N-n-no… NO! No…"

"Shh, Morgan!" Maura shook the girl harder but she wouldn't wake up.

Tears started leaking into Morgan's temples as her eyes squeezed shut and her fists balled as she grabbed the sheets. Whatever she was experiencing in her sleep, it caused her terror and pain and Maura just wanted to stop it.

A heartbreaking sob escaped the sleeping girl and Maura sat up in bed, placing her hand on Morgan's shoulder. "Morgan! MORGAN!"

Morgan screamed and shot up. "NO!"

"Shh, it's me, baby," Maura cupped Morgan's wet cheek but the girl shrugged away and screamed again.

"NO! NO!" Morgan's screams were broken and laced with tears and Maura felt tears of her own filling her eyes.

"It's me, honey," Maura whispered, carefully taking Morgan's chin to make the girl look at her. "Calm down, it's just me."

Morgan looked at her mother with wide eyes, panting in horror while fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. "M-mom…"

Maura nodded and gently brushed a strand of sweaty hair out of her daughter's face. "Shh," she soothed gently. "Shh, it's okay."

Morgan's eyes seemed to adjust to the darkness in the room and she lowered her head while a wrecking sob sounded through the room.

"Oh, my sweetheart," Maura whispered, wrapping the crying girl up in her arms. She felt Morgan leaning forward and clutching to her pajama top while her tears made a wet spot on the silk fabric on her chest. "It's okay, baby," she gently rubbed Morgan's back and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "It's okay. No one is going to hurt you. You're safe." She closed her eyes and thought of the many times she said these same words to Jane after she woke up from another nightmare. She had less of them than she used to, but every now and then she still woke up sweating, screaming and crying out in fear. Maura had a feeling this wasn't the first time for Morgan either.

"Morgan," she whispered after the girl had calmed down a bit, "does this happen often?"

Morgan just shrugged and hid her face into her mother's chest.

"Morgan." Maura gently pulled back and cupped her daughter's wet cheek. "How often?"

Shimmering blue eyes looked at Maura and her heart broke when Morgan looked away and whispered, "every night."

Tears welled up in Maura's eyes as she pulled her girl back to her chest, rubbing her hand up and down her sweaty back.

"S-sometimes there's a quiet night," she continued, her voice weak and laced with tears. "But not most nights."

"You've never told us." Maura wiped a tear from her cheek before wrapping her arm back around the crying girl. She had no idea Morgan had these nightmares. She had no idea her daughter conquered this pain every single night. It broke her heart.

Morgan shook her head and whimpered softly. "I d-don't want you to w-worry."

"We worry," Maura replied. "We worry all the time. That's our job."

Morgan furrowed her brow.

"It's what makes us mothers." Maura sighed and sat back against the headboard of the bed, slightly lying down against it while she brought Morgan with her in her arms. "Worry comes with love."

"B-but you didn't ask for me and I don't want you to have to worry about me."

"We didn't ask for you?" Maura furrowed her brow. "Honey, you're my daughter!" 

Morgan shook her head and clutched herself to her mother. "But-…"

"No but." Maura rested her chin on top of Morgan's head and pulled her close. "We didn't ask for you. You were like… Like a gift. A present. We didn't ask for you but when you came into our lives, we became the luckiest people in the world."

Morgan sniffled and Maura felt her calming down, her muscles relaxing as her breathing steadied.

"We love you so much, sweetheart," she whispered. "How many times do I have to tell you that before you finally believe it? You're my daughter and I love you."

"I kn-know…"

"Good." Maura felt Morgan's short breaths against her chest and gently rubbed her back. "I want you to tell us when you're having nightmares, baby," she whispered quietly. "I don't care if you wake us in the middle of the night."

Morgan shook her head. "No," she whispered weakly.

"Yes." Maura pulled back and looked at her daughter. "Morgan, did this help?"

"What?"

"This. Me, waking you up and comforting you. Did it help?"

Morgan lowered her gaze and shrugged.

"Morgan?"

"Yes." Morgan nodded and sighed deeply. "It helps."

"Right." Maura nodded, smiled and brushed some dark hair out of the girl's face. "I want to help you, my pretty girl. I want you to wake me up so I can help you. Okay?"

Morgan hesitated and was about to protest but Maura stopped her. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"Can you promise me you'll come to us?"

Morgan nodded slowly. "I promise."

Maura smiled and got comfortable between the blankets again, bringing her daughter with her in her arms. She exhaled softly and felt Morgan snuggling against her side. "Sleep, honey," she whispered. "I'm here."

It took a long time before Morgan's sniffles and silent sobs faded. Whatever her nightmare was about scared her and brought her to dark places. After almost an hour, Morgan's quiet whimper broke the silence. "Mom?"

"Hm?" Maura opened her eyes. She was fighting to stay awake, not wanting to fall asleep until she was sure Morgan was sleeping.

"I-… I'm scared to go to sleep…"

"Oh, honey." Maura sighed and kissed her daughter's messy dark hair. "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here to wake you when the nightmares come. I'm here."

Morgan nodded weakly and wiped the tears that fell down her pale cheeks. "Okay."

"Try to sleep, Morgan. Nothing is going to hurt you." Maura comfortingly rubbed her hand up and down Morgan's back and continued those soft strokes until she felt the girl in her arms relaxing and her breaths slowing down.

When she was absolutely sure Morgan was down for the night, she allowed herself to give in and close her eyes while a restless sleep took over.

The next morning, the thunder had stopped but rain was still beating against the windows and the wind was blowing a little less than that night. But when Maura woke up, she was mostly happy to see the power was back on. She opened her eyes, sighed deeply and turned her head away from Morgan to grab her phone and look at the time. It was still early. Morgan was still sleeping peacefully on her side, her hand resting on her mother's midriff, her dark hair messy and tangled, her cheeks still pale. She looked peaceful. Free from nightmares. Maura smiled, carefully untangled herself from her daughter and kissed the top of her head.

She got out as quietly as possible and slightly opened the curtains to look outside. It looked better. They could probably drive home that day. She took a seat in a large chair in front of the window and took her phone to call her wife, knowing she'd be up to get to work.

"Maur."

"Hi." Maura smiled at the sound of Jane's husky voice.

"How are you doing? Is the weather still so crazy out there?"

"It's getting better, it was worse last night."

"Yeah, how's that motel?" Jane's smirk was audible through the phone.

Maura chuckled softly. "It's fine. It's actually quite nice. Cozy."

"Hm." Jane hummed and Maura heard the sound of the coffee maker. "Why are you being so quiet?"

"Morgan is still sleeping, I don't want to wake her." She sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead before staring outside again. "She's not doing well, Jane," she whispered. "She has awful nightmares. She has them every night and we never knew."

"Every night?"

"Yes, every night!" Maura fought to keep quiet and felt tears burning in her eyes. "They're awful, Jane. So awful. She cried and cried and she just doesn't want to bother us."

Jane sighed. "Poor thing. What did you say?"

"I made her promise to wake us after a bad dream."

"And did she?"

"Yes. She promised."

"Good. Let's hope she keeps it."

Maura hummed and looked at the rain that was beating against the window. "How are the girls?"

"Good, Anna misses you though."

"Already?" Maura chuckled quietly.

"Yeah well, she found a new book and she's desperate to tell you about it."

Maura smiled to herself. "Our little book worm."

"Oh and Lily's team won the game yesterday."

"Oh, that's amazing!"

"Yep, our little high speed hero."

Maura laughed and tucked her feet up in the chair, finding a comfortable position. "I think we can drive back today, I'll try to make it back before Lily's bedtime so I can tuck her in."

"Will you be home to tuck me in?"

"You, always." Maura smiled. "I miss you."

"Hm, I miss you too." Jane sighed. "You better come home quick."

"I'll try."

"But be safe first, please. I'd rather miss you for a day longer than you driving in that horrible weather."

"We'll be safe." Maura smiled to herself and looked at the sky that was getting a little lighter as the sun was rising. "I think it will clear up today."

"Good. Give Morgan a kiss from me, alright? Tell her… Tell her those nightmares will get better. I know it."

"I know you do," Maura whispered with a loving smile. "I'll tell her."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Jane." She closed her eyes at the lovely sound of her wife's voice before she said goodbye and hung up the phone, sighing contently until she heard soft footsteps behind her. She turned her head and saw Morgan getting up from the bed and walking towards her, rubbing her eyes with her hands as she let out a big yawn. "Good morning, honey."

"Mornin'," Morgan mumbled sleepily. She wiggled herself next to her mother in the chair, tucking her feet up and resting into her side.

"You slept rather well the rest of the night, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Morgan nodded and wrapped both her arms around Maura's arm around the girl's knees. She rested her head on Maura's shoulder and yawned. "Can we drive home today?"

"I think so, yes." Maura smiled as she kissed Morgan's temple. "Mama told me to give you a kiss from her. She says hi."

Morgan hummed and snuggled herself against her mother, trying to get the warmth of the bed back. Maura chuckled and moved to wrap both her arms around the skinny girl, pulling her as close as possible. "You know," she whispered, "your Ma knows how you feel."

"Hm?"

"She has nightmares too. Bad ones."

"Really?" Morgan furrowed her brow and looked at her mother.

Maura nodded. "Yes. But she told me to tell you it gets better."

Morgan smiled slightly and rested back against Maura's side. "Does it?"

"It truly does." Maura rested her cheek on top of Morgan's head. "I promise."

Morgan hummed and nestled herself against her mother while she looked out the window. "What are we gonna do for breakfast?"

"Well, there's no such thing as room service over here…" Maura pursed her lips and thought about where to find food. "I guess we'll have to stop by a place on the road."

"I feel like eating pancakes." Morgan grinned to herself.

Maura chuckled and brushed her fingers through her daughter's dark hair. "Of course you do."

They stayed silent for a few more minutes, Morgan slowly waking up more and more while Maura just enjoyed some quiet time with her daughter. When it looked like the storm would calm down soon, they both got dressed and packed their stuff, ready to get back on the road.

The ride home started out pleasant and filled with laughter, love and conversations between mother and daughter. Morgan had a special place in Maura's heart. She couldn't exactly explain why, but somehow she just took to her ever since she met the girl. Since the day she met Morgan as a small four-year-old, they had something special. Maura cherished it with all she had.

"The sky is getting darker again," Morgan said softly while she looked out the window.

"Hm." Maura furrowed her brow. The sky was getting darker than she expected and they still had a lot of miles to drive until home. She slowed the car down and noticed the road getting quieter the further they got.

The rain only got heavier and heavier. Maura's knuckles were white from gripping the wheel so hard, feeling the wind tugging on the car.

"Mom?"

"It's okay, baby," Maura said, her voice barely audible above the rain. "We'll be home soon."

Morgan nodded but Maura knew she wasn't convinced. She stared at the road, her skinny hands gripping the seat beneath her.

"Why are there no cars, Mom?"

"I don't know," Maura replied while she got off the highway and turned into a different road, continuing their way to Boston. "They probably stayed home due to the weather."

"Maybe we should've stayed home too…" Morgan said, her voice shaking.

Maura didn't reply. She was too focused on getting them home safely and staying on the road. She could barely see in front of her, the windshield wipers moving like crazy, the rain beating against the windows, the wind almost blowing them into the bank of the road. She was driving less than fifteen miles an hour but it still felt like she was going too fast. She felt the control over the car slipping through her hands but she knew she had no choice but to keep going.

Suddenly a loud bang startled them both and Morgan let out a high-pitched scream. "MOM!"

"It was just a branch, baby! It landed on top of the car, that's all." Maura felt her heart beating in her chest and kept driving, noticing the trees next to the road and how they were losing leaves and branches. It wasn't safe to stop. It wasn't safe to keep going.

An enormous blow of wind pulled a low-hanging tree out of its roots and Maura stepped on the brake just in time. The sound of a loud crash pierced through the car as the tree landed on the hood, breaking the windshield, glass flying through the air. Maura wrapped her arms around her face to avoid the glass and heard Morgan screaming next to her. She felt a stinging pain in her arm where probably a piece of glass cut through her sweater but she ignored it, only focusing on her daughter screaming next to her.

Somehow, she ignored the sense of panic in her chest and unbuckled her seatbelt with shaking hands. "Get out!" she screamed to Morgan. "Get out of the car!"

Morgan couldn't get her seatbelt off and cried loudly. "M-Mom! I can't!

Maura moved her shaking hands to untangle her daughter from her seatbelt and almost pushed her out of the car, seeing an alarming amount of smoke coming from under the tree on the hood of the car. She got out herself, her heart beating in her throat, her breath coming in short gasps, her entire body shaking with fear.

She managed to open the back of the car and grabbed the first bag she saw, throwing it towards Morgan. She reached for the second one but it was stuck behind the backseat. She pulled but the smell of burning rubber made her stop and grab a random sweater instead. She took Morgan's hand and pulled her away from the car. "RUN!" she panted, pulling her crying daughter with her after taking the bag from her.

"MOM!"

"Just run," Maura panted, pulling Morgan while she got as far away from the car as possible. The rain soaked through her sweater and the wind made her shiver violently but she kept going until she heard a sizzling sound and then felt a strange kind of warmth behind her as the car caught on fire. They turned around and suddenly Maura felt tears streaming down her face, mingling with the rain that still poured from the sky while she watched her car burning.

She didn't cry about her car or their stuff. She couldn't care less about the expensive vehicle or the clothes that were still in there. If they had been one minute too late, if they had stayed one minute longer, they would be in there. In that ball of fire, in that excruciating, deadly heat. If she had driven a few inches further, that tree would have been on top of them instead of the front of the car. She grabbed Morgan's hand a little tighter and stepped back. "Come on, baby," she said, her voice hoarse and unfamiliar, "come on."

Morgan just cried and held on tight to Maura's hand while they walked down the road to search for a place to find shelter. They walked for what felt like hours, but Maura knew it was only a few minutes. "There," she pointed towards a bus stop. "We'll go over there."

One look at the sign told Maura there would be no bus here. But at least they had something that looked like a roof, something that made the rain stop pouring down their clothes. "M-mommy…"

"Shh," Maura tried to take a deep breath but her heart was still racing, her body exhausted from fear and running. She gently made Morgan sit down on the small bench at the bus stop. "Let me look at you," she said softly while she took the girl's chin in her hand. She had a cut on her forehead, right above her left eye. It wasn't too deep. "Are you in pain?" Maura asked, examining her daughter. "Are you okay?"

Morgan's teeth chattered but she nodded her head, a small stream of blood trickling down her face. Maura wiped it away with the sleeve of her wet sweater and wrapped her arms around her teenager, pulling her as close as she could. "We're okay, honey," she whispered. "We're okay."

"W-what are we gonna do?" Morgan shook and pulled herself against her mother to try and get some warmth from the blonde, but Maura was shivering herself, cold to the bone.

Maura sighed, blinked the tears away from her eyes and kissed her daughter's temple before taking the bag she had thrown on the ground. "I put my phone somewhere…"

"It's in the car, Mom," Morgan's eyes were wide and filled with fear. "You gave it to me so I could text Ma and I put it next to my seat."

Maura sighed and closed her eyes. "And yours?"

Thick tears filled Morgan's eyes. "In my bag."

"In the back of the car." An alarming knot tied in Maura's stomach as she looked around and thought of a solution for their situation. No phone. No shelter. No car. She felt her daughter shaking violently against her and placed her hand on the girl's cold skin. She had to get warm. Another big branch landed on top of the bus stop, eliciting a whimper from Morgan. They couldn't stay here.

Maura sat down on the small space that was left on the bench and rubbed her forehead while she wrapped her other arm around Morgan's shaking shoulders. "We'll be okay, sweetheart," she said softly while she stared at the street, watching streams of water heading down the road. "We have to find shelter, somewhere to keep you warm," she said while she looked back at her daughter. "It'll be okay."

Morgan looked at her mother with those clear blue eyes that filled with tears of fear. "I'm scared, Mom."

Maura sighed and pressed her lips against Morgan's temple. "Me too, baby," she whispered, not audible above the sound of the storm. "Me too."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Okay, are you ready?" Maura took Morgan's hand in hers and stood up from her seat at the bus stop.

Morgan nodded and wiped her tears, trying her best to be brave despite the crippling fear she felt.

Maura adjusted the bag on her shoulder and grabbed her daughter's hand tightly before stepping back into the rain, immediately shivering when the cold water ran down her neck into her sweater. They avoided falling branches and walked around the trees on the road, hopefully walking in the right direction. Maura had no idea. She had lost her sense of direction.

After a few minutes, the road went on to a different, smaller road and Maura knew they were walking the wrong way. She didn't say anything and kept going. If she let Morgan know she had no idea where they were, the girl would panic and Morgan was scared enough as it were.

"Mom!" Morgan squinted her eyes in the rain and pointed towards the side of the road where the forest started. "Look!" 

"What?"

"I think I see a house!"

Maura smiled in relief and allowed Morgan to pull her with her while they hurried towards the trees where Morgan had seen something. "What did you see, baby?"

"A small house, look!" Morgan pointed again and then Maura saw it. Her daughter had good eyes. It was a tiny cabin that looked old and ragged, but it had a roof and a door.

It took them a few more minutes to get there and Maura let go of her daughter's hand to knock on the door, despite knowing that probably no one lived here. There was no answer. She tried the door and it opened immediately.

"It's not locked?" Morgan furrowed her brow and hesitantly followed her mother inside.

The cabin hadn't been occupied for months, maybe even years. There was one ugly couch, a fireplace and something that could have been a kitchen. A few broken chairs were lying around the place, broken bottles of scotch and other liquor on the floor in between old mugs and a few plastic cups.

The sound of Morgan's chattering teeth pulled Maura out of her thoughts and she turned her attention towards her daughter, watching her wet hair clinging to her face, her sweater and jeans dripping, her lips blue from the cold while she skinny arms desperately wrapped around herself to try and keep herself warm. Concluding that this cabin was empty and available for shelter, Maura put the bag down and cupped Morgan's face to press her lips against her cold, wet forehead. "My grave girl," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I love you. We're safe, baby."

"I-I'm s-so cold, M-Mom…" Morgan's entire body was shaking and Maura knew she had to get her warm somehow. She let her daughter go and closed the door to shut the wind out before looking through the bag she brought. She didn't bring anything to survive in a storm and everything she did bring was soaked.

Maura sighed and looked through the room. There was a fireplace. "Maybe we can make a fire," she said with a hopefully reassuring smile. But Morgan looked awfully pale and the chattering of her teeth didn't stop. Maura knew hypothermia was just around the corner and according to the shaking of her own body, she wasn't too far away herself. She couldn't feel her fingers and toes and she couldn't stop herself from shivering.

Despite her weak state, Morgan started looking through the small cabin and lifted a rag in the corner. She gasped and called out for her mother. "Mom, look!"

Maura snapped her attention towards the young girl and laughed in relief. "Baby, you're amazing!" She hurried towards her and grabbed a block of wood from the top of the large stack. It was pretty dry and would burn as long as they had matches or at least something to light it. As if God knew they needed it, Maura found an old box of matches on top of the stack. "We'll be okay," she said with a smile, opening the box to see only a few matches.

They kneeled in front of the fireplace and Maura struck the first match, which went out immediately after only producing a tiny flame. The second one did the same. "Come on," Maura whispered as if she could encourage the matches in her hands. "My baby needs to get warm."

The second to last match worked and lit up the paper they put in between the blocks of wood. It was a medical journal Maura had wanted to read but parts of it were still dry and it was all they had. She prayed the fire would keep going and sighed in relief when the smallest pieces of wood started catching on fire. She soon noticed that the small chimney wasn't worth anything and smoke filled the room, but warmth was more important. She quickly opened the hatch and saw the smoke slowly disappearing. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"M-mom…" Morgan's arms wrapped around her knees that were hugged to her chest and Maura noticed she had stopped shaking.

"No…" Maura whimpered and placed her fingers on Morgan's pulse, feeling that her heartbeat was dangerously low. The girl's breathing slowed down and she looked paler and paler. "Come on, baby," she whispered. "Stay with me." She gently pulled Morgan's arms away from her knees and managed to peel off her wet sweater and the T-shirt she wore underneath. She got the girl out of her jeans and moved her closer to the fire. She roamed through the bag and found one of her blouses that was still partly dry. She knew she needed more but this was something. She wrapped it around her crying girl and sat her down as close to the fire as possible without burning herself.

It was like her mind was working without her. Her body was paralyzed with fear but somehow she still knew what to do. She grabbed an old pot and a few mugs from the floor and opened the door to put them outside, catching the rain that was streaming down. She looked at Morgan and saw the girl's eyes slowly closing, causing her own eyes to fill with tears as fear filled her entire being. She couldn't lose consciousness. "Stay with me, Morgan!"

"Hm." Morgan just hummed, too weak to reply.

Fear geared through Maura's body while she impatiently waited for the water to fill up. She couldn't wait for it to fill all the way and she filled the bowl with the mugs, taking it inside and grabbing a poker from the side of the fireplace. She managed to get the bowl in the fire, happy that it could withstand the heat. She waited until the water was hot and poured the two mugs of cold water in there before turning towards her daughter. She grabbed Morgan's wet jeans and used it to tie around her hands so she could grab the bowl out of the fire. She used an old mug to scoop up some of the warm water and gently placed her own cold hand on Morgan's freezing skin. "Baby, I'm going to pour some warm water over you," she said softly, trying her best to keep her voice calm.

She knew the water had to be lukewarm but she had to be fast. She slowly poured the warm water over the bare skin of Morgan's back, seeing goosebumps rising where the water hit her. That was a good sign. She took the girl's sweater and emerged it in the warm water before wrapping it around the girl. Morgan started shivering again and Maura sighed in relief. She stood up, moved the couch so she could sit back against it and pulled Morgan in her arms, continuing the gentle act of pouring the warm water and warming up the wet sweater around her back until the girl's breathing was back to normal and her lips started turning pink again instead of purple.

"Morgan?" Maura whispered, feeling the girl curling up in her arms, her head resting on her mother's chest.

"Hm?"

"Can you talk to me, baby?"

"What?"

"Are you in pain?"

"N-no." Morgan weakly shook her head. "I'm just so cold."

"I know, baby," Maura re-emerged the sweater in warm water and put it back around the girl, this time around her bare front. She tried to adjust it around her shoulders but her fingers were shaking too much. She shook her head and pulled off her own sweater, leaving her in her bra while she warmed her own sweater and put it back around herself, feeling goosebumps rising all over her upper body.

"Are you okay, Mom?"

Maura nodded. "Yes, honey. I'm okay."

"You're shaking."

"So are you." Maura smiled sadly and kissed the top of Morgan's head. "We'll be okay."

"Turned out to be an adventure after all, huh?" Morgan said with a weak chuckle.

Maura laughed and shook her head. "I don't really like this adventure, honey. I'd rather keep you safe and warm."

Morgan shivered in response and curled herself tighter around her mother. "Everything is wet…"

"I put some of my spare clothes and your jeans by the fire to dry." Maura brushed her hand through Morgan's wet hair while she moved her legs, shivering from the wet fabric of her jeans.

"My bag's gone, isn't it?"

Maura sighed. "Yes, baby. It was in the car. I couldn't get it out, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Morgan shrugged and brushed a strand of wet hair away from her forehead. "It's good that you got us out instead of the bag."

"We'll get you a new favorite sweater when we get home," Maura smiled, knowing Morgan's sweater was in there.

Morgan lifted her head from Maura's chest and looked at her mother. "How are we gonna get home?"

Maura's smile fell and she looked away from the girl. She had no idea. They had no phones and she didn't know where they were. "The storm will pass," she answered despite her thoughts. "As soon as it calms down, we'll go find our way back."

"B-but we thought it was passed this morning."

"We'll wait longer this time."

"Do you know the way back?" Morgan asked quietly.

Maura decided to be honest. There was no use in lying. "No, baby. I don't."

Morgan's eyes went wide and she looked at her mother with fear in her blue eyes. "You don't?"

Maura shook her head and cupped Morgan's still cold cheek. "I don't. But as soon as the weather clears up, we'll be able to find a main road and then we'll find our way back. I know we will."

Morgan nodded weakly and snuggled back into her mother's arms, trying to get warm but failing. Maura's skin was cold as ice. She pulled the wet sweater from Morgan's back and put it by the fire to dry, deciding she was warm enough to start drying up first.

"I wish we had a warm blanket," Morgan whispered. "And a hot shower. And then a warm bed."

"Don't think about it," Maura shook her head and smiled slightly. "I would kill for my warm bed right now." She sighed deeply when she thought about it. Her bed. Warm, dry, comfortable… Her wife next to her, Jane's strong arms wrapped around her, the sound of her steady breathing lulling her to sleep… But instead she was sitting on the floor in an old cabin, shivering from the cold, every inch of her body freezing.

Morgan shifted closer towards the fire and Maura followed her, feeling like her feet slowly melted from the heat while the warmth slowly spread up to her legs. She sighed contently and pulled her daughter closer in her arms. "We'll be okay, sweetheart," she whispered again. "Are you starting to feel warmer?"

"Yeah." Morgan nodded but she was still shivering slightly and Maura heard her teeth chattering.

They stayed quiet for a long time, just listening to the crackling fire and the rain beating against the wall while the wind roamed through the woods. Maura felt Morgan's skin getting warmer while she herself slowly warmed up as well. "Mom?" Morgan broke the silence after a while.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for saving my life."

Maura chuckled quietly and pressed her lips against the top of the girl's head. "You're welcome, sweetheart," she whispered. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I'd lost you." Just the thought of losing her little girl broke Maura's heart. She felt tears in her eyes and pulled Morgan even closer, unconsciously wanting her so close she could never, ever lose her. She placed her hand on Morgan's cold cheek against her chest and sighed deeply. Her skin was still cold but she had stopped shaking and Maura felt the girl's muscles relaxing.

Maura rubbed her hand up and down Morgan's arm while her daughter's skinny arms pulled herself against her mother. She kissed her forehead and closed her eyes. "I love you, baby girl," she whispered. "We'll be okay. Everything will be okay."

"I wanna go home, Mom," Morgan said softly, her voice weak and vulnerable.

"Me too, honey." Maura opened her eyes again and stared into the flickering flames of the fireplace, thinking about her family at home. She knew Jane would start to get worried soon. She promised to text her when they were close to home but when there was no text, Jane would know something was wrong. And Maura knew Jane would act like the Detective she was. She would go looking for them and she wouldn't rest until she knew her wife and daughter were safe.

Maura was right. Jane was pacing through her wife's home office, holding her phone tightly in her hand while she waited for it to ring. She had called Maura over and over again but her phone immediately went to voicemail. Morgan's phone did the same. This was unlike them. Maura would text or call whenever she was close to home and she certainly wouldn't leave this many messages unanswered.

She looked out the window and the concern that ached her stomach grew. This storm was bad. If Maura and Morgan were on the road in this weather, they would not be safe. She couldn't wait any longer. She dialed the number of BPD and immediately got an officer on the phone to report her wife and daughter missing. If it wasn't for her demanding tone and her position in the homicide department, Jane knew they would never look into it. But she was strict enough for them to take action.

When she hung up the phone, she looked up and saw Anna standing in the doorway, tears shimmering in her grey eyes while she looked at her mother. Jane sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. She didn't want to worry Anna, but it was too late now.

"You called the police?" Anna asked quietly. "For Mom and Morgan?"

Jane closed her eyes for a moment and nodded her head. "Yeah."

Anna's bottom lip quivered as tears filled her eyes. "Are they okay?"

"I don't know, baby," Jane whispered, stepping towards her daughter to gently wrap her arms around the young teenager. "I don't know."

Anna's arms wrapped around her mother and she sniffled softly as she cried. "They have to be okay, Ma."

"They will be." Jane smiled and kissed the top of Anna's head, sighing deeply when Lily joined them as well.

"Mom's in danger, isn't she?" she asked.

"We don't know, Lil," Jane replied, taking both her daughters' hands to lead them back to the living room. "Let's be positive, don't think the worst. Mom's smart, she'll keep Morgan and herself safe."

Lily nodded, her dark curls falling around her face while she sat next to her mother on the couch and rested her head on Jane's shoulder, Anna taking her place on Jane's other side.

As time passed, Jane's concern grew. She told herself she would go out and search herself if she didn't hear anything within an hour. She knew something was wrong. She felt it in her gut. Her wife and daughter were in danger and she needed to safe them.

Just when Jane was about to lose it, her phone vibrated and she shot up from the couch to answer it. "Yes?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news."

"Oh, God." Jane closed her eyes and felt her throat closing up in fear, her stomach aching, all the muscles in her body tensing up. She couldn't lose them. She couldn't live without them.

"The car has been spotted on an empty road."

"Just the car?"

The male voice paused and sighed. "It's almost entirely burned out."

Jane's brow furrowed and she noticed her own fist pushing against her temple to try and keep herself from screaming out in fear and pain. "Were-…" she couldn't ask the question. She didn't want the answer to be yes. If it were, she would die in pain. But she asked it anyway. "Were there people in there?"

"We don't know yet, a few officers are on their way but the weather makes them slow."

"I'm coming."

"Detective Rizzoli-…"

"DAMNIT I'M COMING!" Jane screamed and turned to hit her fist against the wall. "Who's going?"

"Your partner, Barry Frost, along with the new guy Detective Michaels."

"Frost?" Jane furrowed her brow. Why didn't her partner call her?

"He wanted to protect you."

"I don't give a shit about my protection." Jane was already on her way to find her coat. "Where are they?"

"They can't be far, they left ten minutes ago."

"Text me the location." She hung up and felt a familiar kind of determination taking over. There was no time for anger or tears. She had to find her wife and daughter. She had to see with her own eyes if that car was empty or not. She had to see it. She had to make sure it wasn't them. She knew it wasn't them. Somehow, she felt like she would know if they were in there. Her gut told her Maura and Morgan were still alive. And her gut was never wrong.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Jane pulled the hood of her raincoat tighter around her face as she squinted her eyes to look through the heavy rain. She kept walking despite the heavy feeling in her stomach and the tightening in her chest. She put her car a few yards back on the side of the road, a place with less trees so chances were smaller she would find her car smashed when she got back. She saw officers walking around in the distance and she quickened her pace. "FROST!"

He didn't hear her over the storm. "FROST!" Jane yelled and started running, the wind making it hard to find her usual speed, the rain splashing in her face.

Barry Frost heard his partner's voice and turned around. "Jane!" 

"Are there human remains in there?" Jane grabbed his upper arms and shook him a little too hard. "ARE THERE?"

"W-we don't know yet!" 

Jane looked at the burned out car and covered her mouth with her hand while tears filled her eyes. The fire was put out and there was not much left of the fancy car. She held her breath while an officer walked towards the two of them. She didn't want to hear what he had to say. Whatever he came to say would determine her life. If it was bad news, her life was over. She was nothing without her wife. She couldn't miss her daughter.

"Rizzoli!" He called her and covered his eyes from the rain. "Good news, no sign of Dr. Isles or your daughter in there."

Jane released a breath she didn't know she was holding and her shoulders dropped in relief. "God…"

"Bad news, we have no idea where they could be."

Jane nodded, but his words didn't really enter her mind. Maura and Morgan were still alive. Cold, wet and probably in danger, but they were still alive. She took a deep breath, pushed out her chest and looked at her partner. "Call for help, I want to search the area."

"We might want to wait until the storm has passed," the officer pitched in.

Jane growled and turned towards him. "I'm not waiting."

"But Detective-…"

"DAMNIT!" She yelled and balled her fists. "CALL FOR HELP AND SEARCH THE AREA! My wife and daughter are out there and I have to find them!"

He seemed scared and raised his hands. "Alright, alright."

"Jane," Frost put his hand on her arm. "He's trying to help."

"I know." Jane closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Where do we start looking?" She followed her partner into his car and they got out a map, the officer helping them to set up the area to start a search. She knew Maura was out there. She knew she was out there protecting Morgan with all she had. She had to find them, no matter what.

Morgan had been falling asleep for a few minutes on and off but she kept waking up whimpering and shaking from the cold. Maura kept her arms tightly around the skinny girl, covering her partly in a few moist sweaters and partly with her own shivering body. They were lying on the floor and both of them were cold to the bone, but it would be completely dark outside soon and there was no way they would find their way back in the middle of the night. It would be safer to stay in the old cabin, despite the cold and the fact that Maura was pretty sure she saw a few rats in the corner. To make it all worse, her stomach was growling and she felt lightheaded. She hadn't eaten since that morning.

"Mom?" Morgan's weak voice startled Maura and she lowered her head to look at her daughter on her chest.

"Hm?"

"I'm so hungry," she whispered, her cold hands clutched to her chest.

"I know, baby." Maura sighed and nuzzled her nose into her daughter's damp hair, pulling her impossibly closer. She knew she had a granola bar in her bag. But she wanted to save it for later. She wanted to wait until they had no other choice. But judging by the sounds of Morgan's growling stomach, she had to give her something to eat to get through the night.

She reached for her bag and got out the bar, peeling off a piece of the wet wrapping before breaking off a piece and handing it to her daughter. "Here, baby. Eat this."

Morgan accepted the piece and broke off a smaller piece, chewing on it slowly. "What about you?" she asked after swallowing.

Maura shook her head. "I'm okay."

Morgan smiled sadly and offered her mother her other piece. "Here."

"No, baby. You need it more than I do."

"I can hear your stomach, Mom," she whispered. "C'mon."

"No."

"I won't be able to sleep when your stomach is making noise like that." Morgan smirked and pushed the piece in Maura's hand.

Maura chuckled and took the piece in her mouth, chewing as slowly as possible while she enjoyed it as much as she could. She moved her arm back around Morgan's shoulder but hissed in pain when her sweater grazed over the cut in her lower arm.

"Your arm is bad, isn't it?" Morgan asked.

Maura just hummed. "It'll be okay. I cleaned it to decrease the risk of infection but without bandages it keeps tearing open."

Morgan sighed and rested her head back on her mother's chest. "I want this night to be over," she said softly. "I want it to be morning so we can find our way back. And I want this stupid storm to be over."

"Me too, sweetheart." Maura sighed deeply and tried to stretch her aching back. She groaned softly and sat up in front of the fire. "Sorry, baby," she whispered after a soft whimper from Morgan when she lost the warmth of her mother. "I just need to stretch for a bit."

She stood up and walked towards the window, stretching her arms above her head while she watched the rain dribbling down the dark window. She sighed deeply and shivered in her still damp clothes. "Your Ma is looking for us, honey," she said softly, partly to herself. "She's probably worried out of her mind. She'll do anything to find us."

Morgan nodded and stood up as well, standing next to her mother. "She's an amazing Detective," she smiled. "She'll find us."

"Yes, she will." Maura took a deep breath and stared out of the window, wishing this night would pass quickly.

But it didn't. It was the longest night of their lives. They spent it tossing and turning, shivering from the cold and crawling closer and closer towards the fire they had to stay awake for to keep it going. Maura slept for a few minutes but woke up with a shock and immediately chastised herself for falling asleep until she saw Morgan sitting up by the fire and throwing in some more wood. They sat closely together, the flames of the fire lighting up their faces as they waited for the night to pass and the sun to rise.

As soon as the darkness made place for a grey sky, Maura started gathering their stuff and concluded that although it was still raining, the worst of the storm was over. She woke Morgan, gave her another piece of the granola bar and a big kiss before heading out to find their way back.

While Maura and Morgan walked and walked and walked until their feet were hurting and their clothes were once again wet from the rain, Jane was close to losing her mind. They had been searching all night but the darkness and the weather made it too difficult. She had to keep going, but her stomach was hurting and she kept having small moments of panic where she had trouble breathing and her knees buckled beneath her.

"Okay," she rolled out the map on the steering wheel of her car, "where do we go next?"

Frost sighed and rubbed his forehead, tired after a long and sleepless night. "The forest, I guess," he said, pointing towards an area left to where they were, "the wind has died down, it's probably safe now."

"We checked the forest."

"Not this part. We have to go deeper."

Jane nodded and zipped up her coat. "Alright, let's go." She got out of the car and felt her entire body protesting. She needed sleep. Food. Coffee. Her feet hurt and her back was aching but she had to keep going. Maura and Morgan were out there and she needed to find them.

They spent over an hour walking through the woods and back to the road again. Giving officers orders and walking back into the forest. There was no sign of them. Not even a footprint in the grass.

Jane was about to freak out. She rested back against a tree on the side of the road and blinked the tears away that filled her eyes. "Come on, Maura," she whispered, looking up at the grey sky, rain dribbling down on her face. "I need you. I need you to be okay." She thought about her wife and her little girl out there, all alone. Hungry, tired and cold. She wanted so badly to wrap them up in her arms and never let them go again. If she could ever hug them again. If she could ever look into their eyes again and tell them she loved them.

She took a deep breath and swallowed a big lump in her throat, turning to continue her way until Frost called out to her.

"JANE!"

She shot her attention towards her partner and saw him pointing in the distance. "What?"

He just nodded his head and she ran towards him to look at what he saw. Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw a blond woman and a dark-haired girl making their way down the street, holding hands and lowering their heads to shield themselves from the rain.

"Maura?" Jane whispered, tears filling her eyes. "Maura! MAURA!"

The blonde's head shot up and she tugged on the girl's hand. "Jane!" Her voice sounded soft but it was unmistakable. Maura.

"Maura!" Jane found her strength back and laughed when she heard Morgan's voice calling out to her.

"Mama!" The girl let go of Maura's hand and ran towards her other mother but her legs were too weak and they gave out on her. She fell on the street but she picked herself up and tried to run again until Jane finally reached her and pulled her off the wet ground.

"Morgan…" she whimpered and lifted the girl up in her arms with the last strength she could find. "Oh my god, my baby…"

Morgan cried and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck, squeezing her close. "Mama."

"Shh, I'm here. It's okay." Jane kissed the side of Morgan's head and looked at her wife who was slowly walking towards them, her legs too tired to run.

Jane laughed in relief, tears streaming down her face while she lowered Morgan and ran the last few steps towards her wife and wrapped her arms around the blonde, keeping her from falling.

"Jane-…" Maura whimpered and her arms weakly wrapped around Jane's waist. "God, Jane…"

"Are you okay? Are you-… Are you okay?" Jane pulled back and cupped her wife's face, studying her as if she wanted to make sure this was really her wife, Maura Isles. It was her. Alive and breathing.

Maura nodded. "I'm okay."

Jane nodded as well and fresh tears trickled down her cheeks while she pulled her wife in for a tighter hug, hiding her face into her wet, flattened curls. "Jesus," she whispered, releasing a sob, "I was so scared, Maur."

Maura just squeezed her closer without replying. Her entire body was shaking and if it wasn't for Jane's strong arms that were wrapped around her, she would have collapsed on the ground. She needed to get warm.

"Jane!" Frost called and waved her towards an ambulance that came driving towards them.

Maura shook her head. "I'm okay-…"

Jane didn't even let her finish. She wrapped her arm around her waist to keep her up and lead her towards the ambulance where she got examined and wrapped up in thermal blankets.

She turned towards Morgan and cupped her face, smiling when she looked into bright blue eyes. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes," she whispered, kissing her forehead before pulling her wet sweater over her head. The girl shivered but Jane undressed her to her underwear so she could wrap her up in the warm blankets she got handed by the paramedics.

"How are the girls?" Maura asked, looking up at her wife with shimmering eyes.

"Scared." Jane sighed while she rubbed her hands up and down Morgan's arms to keep her warm. "They'll be so happy to see you."

"Detective, what's your address?" The paramedic called, getting out of the back. "We'll drive you home."

Jane smiled gratefully and gave them their address before she sat down in between her wife and daughter on the bed in the back of the ambulance. Morgan shifted and wiggled herself in between Jane's legs, snuggling into her mother while Maura rested against her side, lacing her fingers with her wife's to stay as close as possible.

They stayed quiet during the entire drive home. There was a lot to say but Jane simply couldn't find the words. She just wanted to enjoy holding them. Hugging them and whispering quiet words of love over and over again. She had them back. She could tell her wife she loved her, she could hug her daughter and she could look into their eyes again. They were alive, breathing and in her arms. Her prayers had been answered and she was eternally grateful.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Her body had finally stopped shivering. She could finally feel her fingers and toes again as her body warmed up. She inhaled the lovely scent of her wife and pulled the thick ambulance blanket a little tighter around herself.

"We'll be home soon," Jane whispered with a kiss on Maura's temple.

Maura nodded. She was too tired to reply. She just rested her head on her wife's shoulder and reached over the brunette to take Morgan's hand in hers, squeezing it gently.

Morgan lifted her head from Jane's chest and looked at her mother with tears in her eyes. Her lips were pink again and her cheeks were still pale but her usual healthy glow started to come back. "We're okay, baby," she whispered, smiling slightly at her beautiful girl.

Morgan nodded but her eyes slipped closed as she relaxed in her mother's strong arms. They would be home soon.

"Maura," Jane gently shook Maura's shoulder and Maura opened her eyes, noticing the ambulance had stopped. "We're home."

Home. Maura smiled and stood up, keeping the blanket around her shoulder as the paramedic helped her out of the ambulance. "Keep an eye on that cut," he said with a nod to Maura's injured arm.

"I will, thank you." Maura smiled at him but she barely payed attention. She wanted to see her girls. She wanted to hug Anna and Lily and tell them how much she loved them.

As soon as she got out, she saw a hint of black curls appearing at the front door. "Mommy? MOMMY! Grandma, it's Mom!" Lily ran as fast as she could towards the blonde and Maura let out something between a laugh and a sob while she kneeled and wrapped her little girl up in her arms.

"Oh, my baby." She hid her face into her daughter's curls and pulled her close while tears trickled down her cheeks. She pulled back and cupped her face, looking into her dark eyes for a moment before pressing her lips against the girl's forehead. "I love you so much, sweetheart," she whispered. "So, very much." She swallowed a lump in her throat and hugged her daughter as close as she could. She realized how precious this was. How much she needed to feel her children in her arms, to tell them she loved them and be close to them. She came too close to losing them and she never wanted to let them go now that she had them back.

Lily had tears in her eyes but she blinked them away. "Are you okay, Mommy?" she whispered, her small hand gently touching Maura's injured arm.

Maura nodded, smiling at her little girl. She rarely called her 'mommy' anymore, now that she felt too grown-up to do so. But Maura loved it. Lily was her little girl and she wanted to keep it that way as long as possible. She pressed a kiss on the side of Lily's head before standing up on weak legs to greet her other daughter, searching for Anna while she took a few steps, her knees buckling beneath her. No food, no sleep and a dangerously low body temperature made her body weak.

"Maura!" Angela untangled herself from the embrace with Morgan and hurried towards her daughter-in-law. "Oh, Maura…" She cupped her face and smiled while she pulled her in for a warm hug.

Maura was mostly grateful for the older woman's warmth and buried herself into her loving arms.

"Are you okay?" Angela asked, her hand rubbing over the blanket on Maura's back.

Maura nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." She managed a weak smile and looked around the room. "Where's Anna?"

"In the shower."

"I'm gonna call her!" Lily jumped up and ran towards the bottom of the stairs. "ANNA! ANNA, MOM AND MORGAN ARE BACK!"

Maura smiled and looked at Angela and Morgan wrapped up in another loving embrace before she stumbled towards the stairs. She saw Anna hurrying down the hall while wrapping a large white towel around herself, her hair dripping from the shower.

"Mom?" She searched around for a split second before noticing Maura and letting out a happy sob. "MOM!" She ran down the stairs, almost falling over her own legs. "Mom…"

"Hi, sweetheart," Maura whispered while she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"M-mom…" Anna shook against her mother as tears started streaming down her face.

"I'm okay, baby. I'm fine." She cupped Anna's cheek and gently brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face, looking into those beautiful grey eyes that shimmered with tears. "I love you so much, pretty girl," she whispered, her voice strangled with tears. "I love you so much."

Anna just nodded and wrapped her arms tighter around her mother. "I love you too, Mom." She took a deep, shaky breath before whispering quietly, "M-Morgan?"

"She's okay," Maura replied with a smile, pulling back to kiss Anna's forehead. "She's in the living room."

Anna smiled in relief and untangled herself to find her sister. "Morgan?"

"Anna!" Morgan smiled and adjusted the blankets around her shoulders to wrap her arms around her best friend.

"You okay?" Anna's brow furrowed in concern but she smiled when she saw Morgan nodding.

Jane watched with a slight smile on her face but her gaze kept going to her wife, wanting to make sure she was okay. She was standing weakly and she was still shivering but she had that loving smile on her face that she reserved for her children. She walked towards her wife and cupped her cold cheek to kiss her lips. "You should get into something warm, babe," she whispered. "A hot shower, maybe."

Maura shook her head. "Morgan needs it more than I do."

"You sure?" Jane tilted her head and gently brushed her hand through her wife's damp, messed up curls.

Maura nodded. "I would like a big cup of hot tea, though," she whispered with a weak smile.

"Coming right up." Jane captured Maura's still cold lips in a sweet kiss, feeling endlessly grateful she was able to feel her soft lips on hers again. She placed her hand on her wife's lower back and gently helped her up the stairs despite her soft protest.

"I'm okay, Jane."

"I know." She knew Maura was okay. But she didn't want her walking up the stairs by herself. So she helped her getting out of her damp clothes and getting her in a pair of warm sweatpants and two sweaters before covering her in blankets in bed and pressing her lips against her forehead. "Tea is coming up," she whispered. "I love you."

"I love you more." Maura smiled and closed her eyes in exhaustion. "Jane?"

"Hm?"

"I should eat something."

"I'm pretty sure Ma has something." Jane nodded and hurried back down the stairs. "Ma?" 

Angela turned and smiled warmly at her daughter.

"Could you make Maura some tea and get her something to eat?" 

"Of course." Angela wiped a few leftover tears from her cheeks. "You get Morgan into a hot bath, she's shivering."

Jane chuckled and nodded. "I was just about to." She turned towards Morgan and gently caressed her cheek. "Let's get you in a warm bath and into bed, hm?"

She took her daughter's hand and noticed how weak she was standing on her legs. She gently lifted the young teenager in her arms, feeling her skinny arms wrapping around her neck to keep herself up. Jane carried the girl upstairs, surprised by how easy it was to hold her up. Her skinny body carried almost no weight and she easily carried her up the stairs. Morgan's eyes were closed and her body felt limp, too weak for any movement. Jane sat her daughter down to sit on the toilet while she started filling the bath tub with warm water, making sure it wasn't too hot. When a few inches of water covered the bottom, she moved the thermal blankets away from Morgan's shoulders and gently took off her shoes and socks and underwear; the only thing she was wearing.

She helped the girl up and into the bath, swallowing at the sight of her undeveloped body. Where Anna was starting to grow some beautiful curves that showed she was slowly becoming a young woman, Morgan was way behind. She knew Morgan still had to turn fourteen instead of Anna who had been fourteen for a few months now, but her flat chest didn't look like it belonged to a thirteen-year-old girl. She sighed and caressed Morgan's cheek before taking the shower head and carefully spraying her hair with the warm water, seeing goosebumps rising on her entire body.

Morgan showed a small smile, her eyes opening slightly. "I kept thinking about this," she whispered. "I've never wanted a warm shower so badly in all my life."

Jane smiled and kissed the girl's temple. "You must have been so scared."

Morgan nodded, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Yeah. I've never been so cold before." She sighed and lowered her arms into the warm water. "But I knew I was gonna be okay, because of Mom."

"Because of Mom?"

"Yeah. When Mom's with me, nothing can really happen, right? She's the smartest doctor on the planet. I wasn't too worried. I knew she would keep me alive."

Jane smiled and turned off the shower head, a sudden silence filling the bathroom. "She would do anything to keep you alive."

Morgan nodded weakly and Jane saw that she had trouble keeping her eyes open. She helped her daughter up and out of the tub, gently drying her off with a big, warm towel before wrapping her in it and putting her arm around her shoulders to lead her towards the bedroom. She quickly grabbed a pair of Morgan's sweatpants along with some underwear, helping her getting dressed and pulling one of her own BPD sweaters over the girl's head.

"Ma?"

"Hm?" Jane took a towel to dry the ends of Morgan's wet hair.

"I'm so hungry…"

"Grandma is making something to eat." She put the towel away and kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Ma?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I sleep in your bed?"

"Of course, baby." Jane smiled and caressed her cheek before gently leading her towards the master bedroom where Maura was close to falling asleep. She gently put her daughter down and covered her in warm blankets.

"Alright. Don't fall asleep on me yet, baby. Eat first." She chuckled and kissed the girl's cheek before hurrying downstairs, taking the bowls of soup Angela prepared for them after giving her mother a grateful hug and hurrying back upstairs where she found Maura lying on her side, simply staring at Morgan who was close to falling asleep.

She was gently tracing Morgan's palm that was facing up towards the ceiling, her fingers making soft strokes, making the girl's skinny fingers flex. Jane sighed and silently walked into the room, putting the bowls of soup on the nightstand. "She's okay, Maura," she whispered.

Maura nodded. "I know."

Jane sighed and leaned down to press her lips against Maura's forehead. "I brought soup," she whispered. "You should eat something."

"So should she, before she's fully asleep." Maura gently shook Morgan's shoulder and whispered her name. "Morgan, baby. Mama brought soup."

Morgan exhaled deeply and opened her eyes, stretching before sitting up and taking the bowl of soup from Jane. They both barely finished their soup, almost too exhausted to swallow the last of it. Jane gently took the bowls from them and stood next to the bed, feeling helpless and insecure now that her wife and daughter were both tucked in and warm.

She sighed and decided to clear away the bowls but as soon as she arrived downstairs, she wanted to go back upstairs. Anna and Lily were sitting on the couch on either side of Angela, sipping their soup while trying to get some distraction by whatever movie was playing on the TV. Jane concluded they would be alright for now and hurried back upstairs where she started aimlessly pacing through the room, trying to find something she could do. She put another blanket over her wife but Maura's quiet voice stopped her.

"Jane?"

"What? What do you need? Are you okay?"

Maura smiled and turned her head to look at her wife. "Come here," she whispered.

"Are you okay? Can I do something?"

"Yes," Maura nodded and lifted the heavy blankets on her side. "You can come here and hold me."

Jane lowered her shoulders and sighed, kicking off her shoes and taking off her pants before sliding into bed next to the beautiful blonde, her arm wrapping around her waist as she pulled her close against her front. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes." Maura smiled and turned in her wife's arms, nuzzling her nose into the crook of her neck. "Warmer now that you're here."

Jane chuckled and pressed her lips against Maura's hairline. "Try to sleep, babe," she whispered. "You've been through so much."

"So have you, Jane." Maura pulled herself tighter against her wife. "We've all been through hell the past two days."

Jane nodded and realized once again how lucky she was to have the love of her life back in her arms. She felt her breath on her chest and felt her soft arms pulling her closer. She was back. "I love you, Maur," she whispered quietly to her almost sleeping wife. "I love you more than I can ever explain."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

When Maura woke up, she felt relaxed and most of all, she felt warm. She smiled to herself and opened her eyes, feeling that Jane had left the bed but Morgan was still sleeping next to her. She watched the young teenager sleeping like an angel, her skinny arm reached out towards her mother, her dark hair messy and splayed out on the pillow beneath her head. Maura smiled and carefully placed a kiss on Morgan's forehead before looking at the time to see it was a little after ten PM, telling her that she slept through the day. She took a deep breath and stretched while she sat up, shivering when she lost the warmth of the blankets. She put on a pair of warm socks and pulled one of Jane's sweaters over her head before heading out of the room, seeing Anna's bedroom door open. She opened it further and saw Anna sitting up in her bed, a book resting on her knees as she leaned back against the headboard.

"How's the book?" Maura smiled and walked into the room.

Anna, shocked for a second, looked at her mother and smiled sweetly. "Good."

"You should have seen the library at the university," Maura said while she sat down next to her daughter and tucking a strand of blond hair behind the girl's ear. "I was thinking of you the whole time; we just _have_ to take you there someday."

"Really?" Anna's face lit up and she looked expectantly at her mother. "It's big, isn't it?"

"So big! And not just books on business or economics or those things that don't really interest you. The literature! It's like a new treasure unfolds itself around every corner!"

Anna's smile widened and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Wow…"

Maura laughed and nodded her head, feeling her heart swelling with love. Talking about books like this with her daughter was one of her favorite things to do in the whole wide world. She would never get tired of the way Anna's face would light up with a smile as she talked about a particular book she liked or the books she wanted to read. It had been like this ever since she was little. Maura remembered the first night they took her in their home, how the little girl sat against her side and listened so intently to the stories Maura read to her. She had never met a three-year-old so interested in books and the fantasy world they held.

"I want to visit Rachel's college too," Anna lowered her knees and leaned herself against her mother's side.

"Just for the library?"

Anna chuckled. "Yeah. But also for Rachel."

Maura's arms wrapped around her daughter and she kissed the top of her head. "Rachel would love that."

"I don't want to go when the weather is bad, though," Anna said softly. "I don't want you to be in danger again."

Maura smiled at her daughter's care for her. "I'm not planning on an adventure like this anytime soon, baby."

"Adventures are supposed to be cool and exciting. I'm sure this wasn't cool or exciting."

"No." Maura sighed and rested her cheek on top of Anna's head. "It wasn't."

"Weren't you scared?"

"So scared."

"But you kept Morgan safe." Anna curled herself up in a ball and snuggled into her mother's arms. "How'd you do that when you were so scared?"

Maura thought about the answer to that question. She had no idea. She didn't know how she kept going when she saw Morgan slipping into hypothermia, while she herself was so cold she could barely move. She had no idea how she managed to keep Morgan somewhat warm and comfortable while she herself felt close to panicking. Somehow, her instincts kept her going. Her unconditional love for her daughter and the determination to get home to her family was what made her think rationally despite the fear. "I don't know, honey," Maura replied quietly. "I just did, somehow."

"You're really brave."

Maura chuckled. "Thank you, baby."

"Is Morgan still sleeping?"

"Yes, she is."

"Wow." Anna raised her eyebrows. "She's been asleep all day."

"Well," Maura sighed and brushed her hand through her daughter's long blond hair, "her body has been through a lot and she barely slept last night. She needs it."

"I know." Anna snuggled herself even closer against her mother, eliciting a chuckle from the blonde.

"My little cuddle bug," Maura whispered with a smirk.

Anna rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yeah yeah." 

Maura laughed and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "How has Lily been?"

"Not so good." Anna sighed deeply and lifted her head from Maura's chest.

"No?"

Anna shook her head and averted her gaze. "You know how she just gets really angry when she's really sad or scared?"

"I do."

"She got real mad." Anna fumbled with the hem of her sweater. "She yelled at Grandma and then ran up to her room and started kicking and punching pillows and walls and stuff."

"Oh, poor thing."

"Grandma got her to calm down, though. Then Lily cried."

"Hm. Grandma knows how to handle situations like that." Maura smiled sadly and rubbed her hand up and down Anna's arm. Jane was the same as Lily. "Lily doesn't like sadness or fear. Those are difficult emotions for her."

"I know."

"Do you know if she's still awake?"

Anna shrugged. "Probably."

"Good, I'll go give her a goodnight kiss." Maura kissed Anna's temple and gently untangled herself. "And you should sleep too, baby!" Maura tickled Anna's side and stood up from the bed. "We told you to stop reading until so late."

Anna smiled and closed her book, putting it away on her nightstand. She slid down in her bed and snuggled into her flowery pillows, smiling slightly when Maura leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Good night, sweetheart."

"Night, Mom."

Maura smiled lovingly at her daughter and closed her bedroom door, walking quietly down the hallway to avoid waking the other kids, but according to the light coming from Lily's bedroom, her youngest daughter was still awake. "Lily?" Maura opened the door and saw Lily standing in front of her desk, her legs spread wide while she worked on a drawing, the lamp on her desk illuminating the small bedroom. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I couldn't sleep." Lily shrugged and lifted herself up to turn towards her mother. "Mom, look what I made."

Maura shook her head and chuckled, stepping behind her daughter to kiss the top of her head. "What did you make?"

"A forest." Lily smiled proudly and put her small hand over Maura's bigger ones on her chest.

"Wow." Maura looked at the colorful painting, a big piece of paper surrounded by crayons. She drew fantasy forest filled with non-existing animals. Yellow elephants with manes, tiny lions on a leash, huge pink frogs with sunglasses and a unicorn with human legs. Maura chuckled and reached down to rest her chin on top of Lily's head. "That's a beautiful drawing, baby. You're very talented."

"Nah." Lily shrugged and chuckled while she leaned back against her mother's front. "I just draw stuff."

"Well, you draw that _stuff_ very well." Maura smiled, looking at Lily's hands that now had the same colors as her drawing. The walls of her bedroom were filled with drawings and painting and Maura was convinced Lily had the talent to become an artist one day. She doubted the girl had the patience for it but she definitely had the talent. "You have such a rich fantasy," Maura said softly while she stared at the forest Lily created. "There's a whole different world in there." She brushed her hand through Lily's curls.

Lily smiled shyly and turned to lean sideways into Maura's arms, eliciting a sweet smile from the blonde. "How have you been, honey?" Maura whispered, pulling Lily's chair over to sit down, her legs still a bit weak. She pulled the girl in between her legs and brushed a dark curl out of her face.

Lily just shrugged.

"Hm." Maura pursed her lips and felt Lily resting herself on her chest. "It's okay to be sad, Lily. Or scared. Or angry."

"I'm not scared." Lily fumbled with a crayon in her hands. "Anymore."

Maura smiled as her arms wrapped around her daughter's stomach. Her children's belly was gone and even though she was still just a child, the nine-year-old's limbs were getting longer and it wouldn't be long before she would have the same posture as Jane.

"I was scared when you didn't come home," Lily whispered, looking down at her feet. "I yelled at Grandma." Tears filled her dark eyes and she lowered her shoulders, making herself small in shame.

"Did you apologize to her?"

"Yeah, like ten times."

"Then it's okay," Maura whispered as she gently pulled her close. "Grandma understands."

"Understands what?"

"That yelling is your way of processing. That you sometimes need to push people away to figure yourself out, before you can let anyone in."

Lily furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Maura sighed and pressed her lips against the side of her daughter's head. "I mean that it's okay to be angry when you're really sad or scared. As long as you apologize to the people you've yelled at and as long as you let someone in after all."

Lily nodded. "But… Okay, what does it mean to let someone in?"

"This." Maura squeezed the girl in her arms and placed her hand on Lily's head to pull her to her chest. "This is letting someone in." She kissed her dark curls. "Just letting me hold you and have a talk. That's all."

"Oh." Lily paused and snuggled against her mother. "That's not so hard."

Maura chuckled. "No, but it can be."

Lily nodded against her mother. "Yeah. It is sometimes."

"I'm happy you're still letting me in," Maura whispered with a kiss on Lily's cheek.

"Of course!" Lily chuckled and turned to throw her arms around Maura's neck for a squeezing hug. "You just have to knock first."

Maura laughed and shook her head while she hugged her daughter in her arms. "Okay, I'll remember."

Lily smiled as she untangled herself and headed back to her drawing, her bare feet walking across the carpet while she adjusted her pajama pants. "You can have this one for your office, Mom. If you want."

"I'd love that." Maura smiled brightly and stood up from the chair, looking at the artwork once again. Her office was slowly becoming an exposition of Lily's works of art. Every time she made a drawing she was particularly proud of, she would proudly give it to Maura for her office. And Maura had to admit, every time she looked at those colorful paintings filled with Lily's fantasies, it would brighten her day.

"You might have to take one down though," Lily said while she put away her crayons. "Otherwise the walls will be full."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find a spot for it." Maura pulled away the blankets on Lily's bed and waved the girl over. "It's bedtime, honey. Did you brush your teeth?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded and turned to follow her mother, climbing into bed and searching for her stuffed animal, an orange fox named Todd, like the movie Lily loved so much. She pulled the old thing away from under her pillow and pulled her hearing aids out of her ears, putting them on her nightstand.

Maura brushed Lily's messy curls back and leaned down to press her lips against her forehead. "I love you, my baby," she whispered, not audible for the girl without hearing aids. "My sweet girl."

Lily turned on her side and pulled the fox to her chest. "Tomorrow I'm gonna make you orange juice for breakfast, Mom," she said with a tired smile. "I can do it by myself now."

"Oh, that's sweet of you." Maura smiled brightly, looking into Lily's eyes when she talked so she could understand her. "Don't wake up too early though. Tomorrow is a day off and you need your sleep, lady. You've been pushing back your bedtime lately!" She kissed her daughter's temple and caressed her stomach for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Sleep well, honey," Maura said softly. "I love you."

"Love you too." Lily wiggled herself comfortable in her bed. "Goodnight."

Maura closed the door and looked under Anna's door to see that her lights were out which meant she had put her book away. She smiled and headed downstairs in search of her wife. She found her lying on the couch in the living room, holding an almost empty beer bottle while she watched an old baseball game on the TV.

"Lily? I told you to go to sleep already!" Jane lifted her head from the armrest but her frowned changed into a smile when she saw her wife. "Oh, it's you."

Maura nodded. "Yes, it's me."

"Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Maura smiled and moved Jane's legs to take a seat next to the brunette.

"Did you sleep well?" Jane moved herself up and put her beer bottle away. "Are you hungry?"

Maura chuckled at her wife's endless questions and nodded her head as she put her feet up on the couch and leaned into Jane's side. "I slept excellent. I'm a bit hungry."

"Can I make you something? We still have soup and I think there are some bagels left."

Maura shook her head. "I just want to be with you for a while," she whispered as she took one of Jane's hands in her own, holding it gently in Jane's lap.

Jane smirked and wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulders while she kissed the blonde's temple. "I just got off the phone with Rachel."

"Oh my goodness, Rachel!" Maura pulled her head up and looked at her with wide eyes. "I completely forgot to call her!"

"I did, don't worry. And so did my Ma as soon as you got home."

"Oh, thank God." Maura closed her eyes and leaned herself back in her original position. "How is she?"

"Well, she _was_ terrified. But she's fine now. She's mostly feeling guilty but I'm pretty sure I got that out of her mind." Jane rubbed her hand up and down Maura's back and pulled her close. "She's excited to come home for Christmas."

"Me too." Maura smiled. She couldn't wait to have her entire family complete again. She sighed and turned herself more fully in her wife's embrace, lifting her head to capture her lips in a loving kiss.

Jane smirked into the kiss and put her hand on the blonde's cheek as she deepened the kiss, her tongue tracing along her wife's bottom lip. Maura exhaled as she straightened herself and pulled herself even tighter against Jane, feeling the strong Detective gently pulling her down to lie on top of her.

When they broke apart, panting for air, Jane rested her forehead against her wife's and smiled lovingly. "You're beautiful, Maur," she whispered while her hand traced up and down Maura's side, bringing her sweater up to caress her soft skin. "Every single inch of you is beautiful."

Maura blushed slightly and just leaned up to kiss her lips again. "So are you." She moved Jane's sweatshirt up and let her hands roam across her muscular back, feeling a hint of arousal in her stomach when Jane's hand moved up to the bottom of her breast, her loving touch gentle yet determined. "Jane," Maura whimpered.

"Maur." Jane moved her kisses to Maura's jaw and neck, eliciting a sweet moan from the blonde.

"Make love to me, Jane," Maura whispered, wanting to feel her wife.

Jane lifted her head and looked into the blonde's eyes, her own dark eyes sparkling with unconditional love. "I don't know, Maura," she whispered. "Are you sure-…"

"Yes." Maura nodded her head. "I'm fine." She chuckled when Jane pulled her sweatshirt over her head and attacked her lips with her own, both women laughing against each other.

A feeling of bliss overwhelmed Maura as she enjoyed her wife's touches with her eyes closed. She had been too close to never feeling this again, which made the whole thing even more intense and wonderful.

She whimpered as her entire body hummed with pleasure and collapsed in exhaustion. She smiled and wrapped her arms around the tall brunette who slid to her side instead of on top of her. "God…" Maura whimpered. "Maybe I _was_ too exhausted for this."

Jane chuckled and nuzzled her nose into Maura's neck. "Told you."

Maura laughed and cupped Jane's cheek, lifting her head to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. "And you worked up my appetite, Detective. Where is that bagel?"

"I'll get it for you." Jane smirked and kissed her wife again before untangling herself and pulling her sweatshirt back over her head and tying up her sweatpants. "Should I warm up some soup as well?"

"Please." Maura smiled lovingly and sat up on the couch, stretching as she lowered the sweater she was wearing. "Jane."

"Hm?" Jane scooped some soup into a bowl and looked up at her wife.

"I love you."

Jane smirked before smiling a sweet smile. "I love you too."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Technically, Maura was called in sick at work. But here she was, sitting on the couch and going through autopsy reports on her laptop while figuring out a complicated physics formula to solve a problem in the case. Morgan was the one who was sick. Ever since their horrifying night in the rain, Morgan had been on and off the flu and never really recovered. She had been suffering from a persistent cough for weeks now but this morning the fever came back and she was currently resting against Maura's side while she stared at the television with watery eyes. It was Christmas break for the girls so at least she wasn't missing any school, which was a good thing because Morgan was starting to get behind.

"Morgan?" Jane's voice called from the kitchen. "Did you take your pills this morning?"

Morgan shook her head. "No." She was taking vitamin C and the occasional painkiller to fight her fever. She had to take them a few times a day and now that she forgot, Jane gently handed her daughter a glass or orange juice and the pills she had to take.

"The vitamin ones are so big," Morgan whined quietly.

"I know, baby. But they will make you better."

"I've been taking them for a long time and I'm still not better." Morgan swallowed the yellow things with the orange juice. "I don't think they work."

"Your immune system is working very hard," Maura said, turning her attention away from her laptop. "The vitamin C helps your immune system."

Morgan just hummed and took the painkillers as well, drinking the last of her juice before handing the glass back to Jane. Maura sighed and wrapped her arm around Morgan's shoulders, balancing her laptop on her knees while she kissed the girl's warm temple. "You need to get better, sweetheart," she whispered.

"Should we take her to the doctor again?" Jane asked, sitting down on the other side of Morgan as she warmed her hands on a cup of coffee.

Maura sighed. "We already went to see the doctor. He said to wait it out."

"She's not getting better."

"Her cough is better." Maura brushed her hand through Morgan's dark hair that was growing past her shoulders now. "We'll wait it out a few more days. If her fever stays, we'll go again. She might need antibiotics."

Jane nodded but her eyes were filled with concern. She leaned in and kissed Morgan's cheek. "Get better soon, alright baby?"

Morgan smiled tiredly. "I'm trying."

Maura chuckled and kissed the top of Morgan's head before turning back to her laptop, but she looked up when she heard keys in the front door. Lily wouldn't be home until dinner and Anna was reading in the yoga room, so Maura furrowed her brow. "Who-…"

"Hi." Rachel wheeled her suitcase into the room and closed the door behind her, wearing a sweet smile on her face, her dark hair white with snowflakes that fell down her scarf and coat.

"Rachel!" Maura closed her laptop and Jane jumped up from the couch to attack the teenager with a tight hug. "You're early!"

"Yeah." Rachel smiled and hugged Jane back. "Stephanie left for home already so I got bored." She untangled herself but her smile fell when she saw Morgan. "Morgan, you okay?"

Morgan shrugged and stood up on weak legs to go give her sister a hug. "I'm sick."

Rachel looked worried as her arms wrapped around the skinny girl. "What do you have?"

"I don't know, the flu or something."

"A rather persistent one," Maura said while she stood up, putting her laptop away to greet her oldest daughter. She cupped Rachel's cheek and kissed the other cheek, smiling lovingly. "Hi, honey."

"Hi." Rachel smiled, not breaking the embrace with Morgan.

"She's been on and off for the past few weeks," Maura said while she gently caressed Morgan's hair.

"Hm." Rachel pulled away and looked down at her sister. "You have to better get better for Christmas, though," she said with a smile. "No puking up Christmas dinner this year, alright?"

Morgan chuckled and shook her head, leaning back against Maura who was still stroking her hair. "I once got sick at Christmas and I threw up the chicken our dad made," she said, looking at her mothers behind her.

"She couldn't get to the toilet in time so she just puked in the hallway." Rachel laughed and took off her coat. "Dad had to clean it up." Her smile fell and she fumbled with her coat. "He wasn't even mad."

The atmosphere in the room changed, a heavy feeling of sadness suddenly hanging in the air. "Mom got mad, though," Morgan said softly. "Real mad."

Rachel sighed and turned around to put her coat away. She hated to be reminded of their hurtful past. She turned away from the memories. "Well, she's gone now so you can puke anywhere you want, I'm sure Mom and Ma won't get mad."

Morgan nodded but she didn't smile. She turned and leaned sideways into Maura's arms, her head reaching just below the blonde's chest. Maura sighed and sensed Morgan couldn't turn her back on the memory as easily as her sister. She kissed the top of the girl's head. "What happened that Christmas?" she whispered.

"Back then," Morgan started softly, "she didn't hurt us as much. Just Dad, never us. But she started getting worse and that was one of the first times she hit me."

Maura felt tears in her eyes and looked up to see tears shimmering in Jane's dark eyes as well. She gently took her daughter and led her back to the couch, sensing her weak, skinny legs. "How often did she hurt you?" Maura asked carefully, knowing how difficult it was for the girl to talk about this subject.

"Not that often." Morgan shrugged and moved back to her original position, bending her knees as she tucked her feet up on the couch next to her, leaning her head on Maura's shoulder as Jane put a blanket over the girl's legs.

"No?"

Morgan shook her head. "No. I promise."

Maura sighed in relief and rubbed her daughter's back.

"No more than once every few months," Rachel pitched in, much to everyone's surprise. "She usually picked Morgan over me, I don't know why."

"You yelled at her," Morgan replied. "I was too scared to do that."

"It was usually just our dad." Rachel shrugged and pulled her phone out of her backpack, shoving it in her pocket before throwing the bag with her suitcase. "That was like… I don't know, once a week, at least?"

Morgan nodded. "Sometimes more, when she was in a bad mood."

"Yeah, her bad moods lasted for days." Rachel shook her head and smiled when she took a drink from Jane.

Jane gently squeezed Rachel's arm and smiled sadly.

"Life's better now." Rachel shrugged, wanting to change the subject. "Where are Anna and Lily?"

"Anna is reading and Lily is at her friend, she'll be home for dinner."

"I'm gonna go say hi to Anna." Rachel turned away, leaving the living room silent except for the sound of Morgan's soft sniffles.

Maura sighed and pulled the skinny girl into her arms, feeling her bones sticking out under her sweater. "It still hurts, doesn't it?" Maura asked softly. "Those memories…"

Morgan nodded and wiped her cheek. "Yeah. But they're just memories."

"That's right." Maura kissed the top of Morgan's head. "Life is better now."

"So much better." Morgan smiled, her head resting on her mother's chest. "Although right now not so much because I'm sick."

Maura chuckled. "Well, yes. But you'll be better soon."

"Yeah. Life's still better even when I'm sick," Morgan said softly, a bit hesitantly. She snuggled herself against her mother to avoid looking into the blonde's eyes. "I think you and Ma love us more than our biological mother ever did."

Maura smiled and pulled her teenage daughter as close as she possibly could. She knew Janet had loved her children but at some point she stopped, and that was the difference between her and Jane and Maura. Maura couldn't even imagine she would ever stop loving her children. The love she had for her girls was so overwhelming, so unconditional and so strong, it could never, ever run out or die down. "I do love you," Maura whispered. She pulled back and cupped Morgan's face to look into her bright blue eyes. "All of you, so much."

Morgan threw her weak arms around Maura's neck and hugged her tight while she quietly mumbled something that was probably an 'I love you too' before she pulled away and leaned back into her mother's side, her skinny body exhausted.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep before dinner?" Maura asked, brushing a strand of Morgan's dark hair back.

Morgan nodded and Maura saw in her eyes that she really was exhausted. "Couch or bed?"

"Couch." Morgan reached for the blanket and pulled it back over her legs while Maura stood up and fluffed a pillow for the girl, gently tucking her in and kissing her forehead.

"Sleep, pretty girl," Maura whispered. "We'll wake you for dinner." She stood up and smiled at Rachel who came back into the room. Maura wrapped her arms around the teenager and kissed the side of her head.

"What's that for?" Rachel chuckled.

"A proper greeting!" Maura squeezed the girl in her arms before pulling away. "I missed you."

"I missed home," Rachel replied. "I-… I was worried about you, Mom. And Morgan."

"We're okay, honey. Morgan is going to be okay too."

"I know." Rachel shrugged and her lips curled up into a crooked smile. "I was just worried, that's all."

"Of course you were."

"I felt so guilty," Rachel whispered, fumbling with the hem of her sweater. "I seriously cried all night, that night you stranded with the car." She looked down at her feet, avoiding eye contact with her mother. "I felt so bad, it was all my fault."

"It wasn't, honey."

"Yeah, it was!" Tears welled up in Rachel's eyes. "If I wasn't so stupid to let you go to that motel! If I had just let you sleep in my dorm-…"

"What, all in one bed? Rachel, there is no room in your dorm!"

"I had to make room! I don't know, I'd sleep on the floor! I don't care, I shouldn't have let you gone out in that weather…"

"Rachel." Maura took Rachel's hands in hers and squeezed gently. "Driving through that bad weather was my decision. Not yours. If this was anyone's fault, it's mine. It was in no way, _no way_ your fault, Rachel." Maura blinked the tears away in her eyes and managed a small smile. "Please don't beat yourself up about this, sweetheart. Please don't make yourself hurt."

"I could have made room." Rachel shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Well, I could have decided not to drive in that weather. I could have decided not to visit you and just stay home." Maura shrugged and moved her hand away from Rachel's to gently rub her arm. "There are a lot of possible scenarios if we did what we could have done. What happened, happened. There's nothing we can do about that and it's no one's fault."

Rachel nodded weakly and finally looked into Maura's eyes.

Maura smiled and gently reached out to wipe a tear from the girl's cheek. "We're okay, sweetheart," she whispered. "What happened is not your fault." She cupped Rachel's chin and looked into her blue eyes. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay." Maura wrapped her arms around the teenager and squeezed her close while she kissed the side of her head. "It's alright, honey. I understand."

"Thanks," Rachel mumbled and pulled away, wiping her cheeks while blushing in embarrassment. She groaned and turned around to compose herself.

Maura chuckled. "Oh, please." She squeezed Rachel's arm and went to the kitchen to grab something to drink.

"So, what do you want for Christmas?" Rachel had put herself together and sat down at one of the stools at the counter, again changing the subject as quickly as she could.

"Nothing, honey," Maura replied while she shook her head and opened the fridge. "I told you, I have everything I need."

"Yeah I know, but I'm still gonna have to get you a present and it would be a lot easier if you tell me what you want." Rachel smirked and tilted her head.

Maura sighed. "I-… I really don't know!"

"Come on!"

"Okay-… I'd like a new picture of you in my home office. The one I have is getting old."

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "I'm not gonna get you a picture of me! Why don't you take one from your phone?"

"That's not the same."

"Mom…" Rachel rolled her eyes and took a glass of juice from her mother.

Maura chuckled, pouring a glass for herself. "I don't care about Christmas gifts, baby. But if you want to get me something, I'd love it to be something personal. Something that's _you_."

"Great," Rachel laughed, "you just made it a million times harder."

But as it turned out on Christmas morning, Rachel managed to find her mother a perfect gift. She framed a picture of her, Morgan and Maura and wrote a sweet message on the back. For Jane, she and Lily had gotten a personalized baseball, autographed by Lily as if she were a famous baseball player. Jane put it proudly in her collection.

Jane loved Christmas. Not because of the food or the entire family that came to visit, but because it made her children happy. She loved to see the smile on Lily's face when she opened the gift that contained a new baseball glove. The sweet laugh that escaped Anna when she opened her book and she loved how Morgan threw her arms around the both of them after receiving a new watch. She loved the way Maura's eyes sparkled as she watched her children opening the presents she so thoughtfully bought for them. As long as her family was happy, Jane was happy. And Christmas had only just begun.

 _A/N I can really use some storyline ideas for this story! I feel like so much has happened already and I'm a little out of ideas at the moment. So if you have any ideas, let me know! I love to write some drama, as long as there is room for the necessary amount of fluff. (: I might pick up some of my other stories while I try to get ideas for this one, but I hope to get renewed inspiration because I love this family so much! Thank you all for reading and reviewing, it means the world to me. Don't be afraid to leave a review or message me, I look forward to it!_


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N Thank you all so much for your ideas! I got some inspiration, and I can definitely keep going for a while longer with this story. Thank you for staying with me and being so kind, it's overwhelming and I'm humbled. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!_

Chapter 21

"Ma?" Rachel took off her Christmas hat and looked at Jane who stood in her bedroom to find a warmer sweater.

"Hm?" Jane pulled a black sweater out of her closet and looked at the teenager.

"I uhm-…" Rachel sighed and Morgan came walking up behind her. "You know how last year we went to the lake?"

"Yeah." Jane nodded. "Like the tradition you had with your dad."

"Exactly."

"You can go." Jane smiled and took off her jacket to pull the sweater over her head. "You don't have to ask our permission."

"Well… We thought…" Rachel fumbled with her hands. "Maybe you want to come with us?"

Jane furrowed her brow in confusion but a smile curled her lips when she looked at her two blue-eyed daughters. "Yeah-… Yeah, of course. I just… I thought it meant a lot to you to go by yourselves?"

"It did." Rachel shrugged and Morgan shifted closer towards her sister.

"We just wanted to invite you into the tradition," Morgan said softly, smiling sweetly. "Because you're our family now."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and walked towards the girls to squeeze Rachel's arm and cup Morgan's cheek and kiss her forehead. "Thank you," she whispered.

"What about Mom?" Morgan asked, looking up at Rachel.

"I don't know..."

"If you ask her, she'll come." Jane smiled. "But if you want it to be just the three of us, that's totally okay too."

"I don't want to hurt her," Rachel whispered.

"You won't."

Rachel sighed. "Okay then."

So they headed downstairs and found Maura in the kitchen, moving around like a whirlwind to get the perfect dinner ready. Jane was right. She understood. There was a flash of hurt in her eyes when Jane told her to just keep working on dinner, but it soon disappeared as she looked at the two girls that were their top priority. It wasn't that they didn't want Maura there. They just wanted to have someone there.

Maura smiled lovingly and cupped Morgan's face to press her lips against her daughter's forehead, checking her temperature. "Just a slight raise in temperature," she said softly. "Take another dose of that syrup and dress warmly, okay? It's cold outside."

Morgan nodded. Her fever was dropping and she was showing signs of getting better but an afternoon out in the cold wouldn't do her health any good.

"I love you," Maura whispered, gently rubbing her thumbs across Morgan's cheeks, knowing how upset Morgan came back from their walk at the lake last year. "Be safe."

"Yeah." Morgan wrapped her skinny arms around her mother's waist for a squeezing hug, eliciting a loving smile from the blonde.

"Go," Maura kissed the top of Morgan's head. "Don't be late for dinner."

"We won't." Rachel chuckled and handed Morgan her coat while she grabbed her own car keys.

"We're taking your car?" Jane asked, zipping up her coat.

"Yeah, it works, you know." Rachel smirked and playfully slapped Jane's arm. "Come on."

Jane shook her head and captured Maura's lips in a quick but loving kiss before heading out the front door. "I know you're very attached to this car," Jane said while she got into the passenger seat of the old car, "but one of these days you're gonna need a new one, Rachel."

Rachel shrugged and turned her keys in the ignition. "It still works."

"I know but I don't want you to get stranded on the side of the road with a broken car." Jane sighed, listening to the sounds of the old thing. The car was a present from her father so it meant a lot to Rachel but it wouldn't be long before the vehicle broke down. But Rachel was right, it worked for now. She drove them to the lake and they all got out, shivering when the cold air blew into their faces.

Jane felt Morgan grabbing her hand and she smiled when she squeezed it tightly. "Okay, lead the way," she said, looking at the trees in front of them.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Snow was falling from the sky and the wind was cold as ice but the girls didn't seem to notice. Morgan kept holding on to Jane's hand and didn't leave her side for one second while Rachel mostly walked in silence with them.

"Over there," Morgan said after a few minutes, pointing at a few rocks on the left, "we sat down, with just the three of us, on a really bad Christmas. And we sat there for like an hour."

"I'm pretty sure my butt froze off that afternoon," Rachel said with a chuckle while she walked towards the rocks.

"It was one of the best hours ever," Morgan sighed. "Until _she_ called and made us come back home."

"Yeah, she beat me up bad that night."

"You?" Jane furrowed her brow and looked at her oldest daughter.

Rachel nodded, sitting down on a big rock. "I was stupid enough to call her out on the stupid Christmas we were having and she got mad."

Morgan leaned into Jane's side, her head resting against the brunette's arm. "She split her lip," she said softly. "It was bleeding."

Jane felt tears in her eyes and sat down next to Rachel, taking Morgan in between her legs while wrapping her arms around the girl's stomach. "I'm so sorry this happened to you," she whispered, reaching out to caress Rachel's cheek.

Rachel shrugged. "She's gone."

"She is." Jane sighed, resting her chin on top of Morgan's head. "But the memories aren't."

"No, but we came here for good memories." Rachel smiled, staring at the lake in front of them. A thin layer of ice covered the entire area and even though it wouldn't be strong enough to hold a human being, birds and ducks were walking around on it.

"Yeah, remember when we fed the ducks?" Morgan asked, leaning back into Jane's front. "We secretly brought the bread we were supposed to have for dinner that night."

Jane chuckled, imagining a little Morgan and a young Rachel throwing pieces of bread at the ducks by the lake, accompanied by the sweet, caring and strong man that was their father, Craig Matthews.

"Dad taught us how to bounce rocks on the water," Rachel smiled at the memory. "And when we went here in the summer, he would pick flowers for us and put it in our hair but he was bad at that so we ended up looking like we'd been rolling through the grass."

Jane laughed and a long silence fell until Morgan sighed deeply. "I miss him," she said softly.

"I know, baby." Jane squeezed her arms around the young teenager. She felt Rachel shifting closer towards her and she gently grabbed the girl's hand.

"That's never gonna go away, is it?" Morgan asked quietly.

"What is?"

"That pain when I think about Dad." Morgan grabbed Jane's arm that was wrapped around her stomach and tried to pull herself even closer. "It's always gonna hurt, isn't it?"

Jane sighed. "Yeah, baby," she whispered. "It's always gonna hurt, but you know what? It won't always hurt as much as it does now."

"People always say that," Rachel said with a shrug. "But it still hurts just as much as last year. I don't know if I believe that."

"It takes time." Jane looked at her oldest daughter, still resting her chin on top of Morgan's head. "More time than a year."

Rachel chuckled sadly. "Then what? A decade? A century? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I'll be dead by then."

"I'm not saying the pain will go away," Jane replied. "I'm just saying the sharp edges will fade with time."

"The sharp edges are the worst." Morgan shifted and rested her head on Jane's chest, snuggling just below her scarf. "It's like they tear you open." She sniffled and stared at the water a few feet away.

Rachel put her feet up on the rock and hugged her knees to her chest. "I miss him. I would give anything to just have one more day with him."

Jane had no idea what to say. She just wrapped her arms around her daughters and pulled them close, hoping to comfort their pain at least a little. She knew how Morgan sometimes woke up at night, crying because her father wasn't there. She knew how Rachel had panic attacks and couldn't breathe because she couldn't hide herself in her father's strong arms any longer. It made Jane painfully aware of the fact that she would always be a substitute for these girls. She would always be the one that took care of them because they had no one else left. "I love you, girls," she whispered to the both of them. "We love you both with all our hearts."

"We know." Rachel smiled slightly, resting her chin on her knees.

"I know it doesn't make the pain of missing him go away-…"

"It doesn't, but it makes it a little better." Rachel looked at her mother, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. "At least we're not totally lost, right?"

Jane smiled and reached out to caress her cheek. "No, you're not." She put her arms back around the skinny teenager in front of her and they stayed silent for a long time, simply watching how the snow got heavier, turning the world white and bright.

She pressed her lips against Morgan's temple and felt that her skin was getting warmer again, eliciting a deep sigh from Jane. "Your fever is back, baby," Jane whispered. "We should go home."

Morgan sighed, tears welling up in her eyes while she shifted and nuzzled herself against her mother. "My head hurts."

"I know, honey." Jane kissed the back of Morgan's head. "Let's go home, okay?"

Morgan's legs were weak as she stood up and Jane wrapped her arm around the girl, mostly to keep her up, partly to comfort her as they walked once more around the lake before heading back to Rachel's car to drive back home where Maura was just putting the chicken in the oven.

"Are you done with dinner already?" Lily asked, sitting on top of the kitchen counter, swaying her legs through the air.

"Well…" Maura looked around the kitchen and nodded slowly, "Grandma is bringing the pies, the salad needs to be prepared right before dinner… Dessert is ready…"

"So, yeah?" Lily smiled excitedly.

Maura chuckled and wiped her hands on a towel. "Why are you so excited about me finishing dinner?"

Lily shrugged. "No reason."

"Hm." Maura tilted her head and brushed her hand through her daughter's messy curls that were partly clipped together on the back of her head. She looked gorgeous in her red jeans and white fluffy sweater.

"You wanna play baseball with me?" Lily asked with an expecting grin.

"Oh baby, it's snowing! And I'm wearing my Christmas dress…"

Lily pouted. "Yeah… I figured."

"Sorry, sweetheart." Maura wrapped her arms around the nine-year-old and pulled her into a hug, feeling the girl's arms wrapping around her neck. She looked over Lily's shoulder at their decorated living room, the Christmas tree lighting up the corner of the room, traditional Christmas socks by the fireplace, lights all around the place, a holiday painting by Lily on the wall… She smiled at the thought of the family that would be arriving soon. "It's strange, isn't it?" Maura asked, pulling away from Lily. "A quiet house like this?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded and jumped off the counter. "When is Grandma gonna be here?"

"I don't know. Soon, I think."

"I hope, she forgets lots of things lately."

"Oh, not lots of things. Just a few small things here and there, she's not as young as she used to be." Maura patted Lily's back and walked towards the couch where Anna was reading one of her new books. "How's the book, honey?"

"Hm?" Anna's brow was furrowed but she looked up when she realized her mother talked to her. "Oh, it's good! You know how I told you about the first part?"

"Yes, I remember."

"This part is like, taking place before the first part. So I'm finding out all kinds of things about the first part and it's really good!"

Maura chuckled. "I'm glad." She sat against the back of the couch and gently caressed Anna's cheek, admiring how beautiful she looked in her Christmas dress. "Come here, baby," she whispered.

"What?" Anna chuckled slightly but tucked her feet up on the couch and snuggled into Maura's side. "What's going on?"

"I miss you a little, that's all." Maura rubbed Anna's back, thinking about how busy they had been with Morgan lately. There hadn't been much time for snuggles and quiet conversations like this. "How many books have you finished this Christmas break?"

"Just one, this is my second one."

Maura smiled and looked up when she heard the front door. Her smile fell when she saw the feverish blush on Morgan's cheeks as the girl walked into the house. "Hi." She greeted them and stood up from the couch, cupping Morgan's cheek to feel her forehead with the back of her hand. "How are you feeling?"

Morgan shrugged. "My head hurts."

"Hm." Maura hummed and brushed a strand of hair behind Morgan's ear, looking into her watery blue eyes. "Maybe the lake wasn't such a good idea after all," she said softly, looking at Jane who was taking off her coat.

Jane shook her head. "No, it was a good idea." She smiled and leaned forward to gently kiss Maura's lips. "It was good."

Maura sighed, stealing another kiss before looking at Rachel who seemed a bit uneasy but not upset or angry. "Are you okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She was fine. She laughed and talked and helped with dinner once the family arrived. Morgan stayed huddled up in a corner of the couch, a blanket covering her legs, her head resting on the armrest while she witnessed the family in the living room.

"So, Ma?" Rachel dropped the beans she washed in a bowl and looked at Jane who was cleaning the kitchen counter.

"Yeah?"

"Dinner's pretty much ready, right?"

"I'm not in charge of dinner," Jane replied with a smirk. "Ask your mom."

Rachel looked over her shoulder at her other mother but shook her head and turned back to Jane. "So, I just wanted to tell you…" she smiled nervously and took the bowl with beans. "I got a boyfriend, his name is Rick and we've been dating for almost two months now." She turned around and put the bowl on the table. "Is dinner ready?" she asked Maura.

"It is!" Maura adjusted a plate on the table and looked at the living room. "Everyone? Dinner's ready!"

"What-…" Jane raised her hands and grabbed Rachel's arm. "What the-..?! You can't just tell me something like that and leave it!"

"Yeah I can, this way you can't get mad." Rachel smirked an evil smirk and chuckled. "You can't yell at me, 'cause the whole family is here and we're about to have dinner." She pointed at the beautifully decorated table and sat down in her chair.

"No way, young lady. Uh uh." Jane shook her head and pulled Rachel back up from her chair. "Two months? And we didn't know? Who is this guy? Where did you find him? What's his last name?"

"I'm not telling you his last name!" Rachel pulled herself free. "You'll go full background-check on him."

"Yeah, probably!"

"What's going on?" Maura pitched in, her brow furrowed while she gently held Morgan's shoulders to lead the sick girl towards the table. "Can we park this for a while so we can have a normal Christmas dinner?"

"Yes, we can." Rachel smiled sweetly at Jane and sat down at the table.

Jane huffed but a part of her was impressed by this smart move. Rachel knew her mother well. She knew Jane would spend the entire night interrogating her about this boy if it wasn't for this Christmas dinner.

She sat down in her assigned seat and looked sideways at Rachel, imagining this 'Rick' boy with her beautiful daughter. Rachel was pretty. She had long dark hair and light blue eyes that sparkled above her pale cheeks. She was slim but not skinny, taller than her sister would be at her age and she dressed casually but she knew to find the clothes that made her look stunning. Jane had no idea who Rick was but somehow, she didn't feel comfortable with a guy dating her daughter. She shook her head and forced herself to think about something else. Rachel was eighteen. She was actually pretty late in getting a boyfriend. She would be okay. She was in college. She could take care of herself. Hopefully.

Dinner was loud as always, but the warmth of the cozy family spread through them all. Tommy and TJ sat together, TJ making a loud conversation with Lily while Lydia was frustrating Angela as usual, but as always, she was too sweet to hate. Frankie brought his new girlfriend Robin, who was a little quiet but seemed nice. Korsak joined them during dinner after spending some time with his family on the other side of the city. Of course Angela was happiest of them all, having her entire family around for once. They were all aware of the empty space Frank Rizzoli left, but no one addressed it. They all just talked happily and enjoyed the food.

When they finished dessert, Morgan was beyond exhausted. She hadn't eaten much and her cheeks were pale. "Maur." Jane looked at her wife next to her and nodded her head at the young girl.

Maura sighed. "Morgan, baby," she leaned over the table to place her hand on top of Morgan's. "Why don't you go lie down for a bit?"

Morgan shrugged. "Dinner's not over."

"You finished eating, didn't you?" Jane said with a slight smile. "Your dinner is over."

"It's okay, baby."

Morgan nodded gratefully and stood up from the table, mumbling a quiet 'excuse me' before slowly heading upstairs to get to bed. Maura looking at her with sad eyes.

"She'll be okay, Maura," Jane said softly.

"I hope so." Maura sighed deeply but managed a small smile.

When dinner was finished and everything was cleared away, the family sat in the living room to enjoy some after-dinner drinks and Jane saw Maura standing in the kitchen, talking to Rachel. She took a deep breath and told herself to leave her Detective-Rizzoli mode behind before she went to the kitchen.

"Did you hear?" Maura asked Jane excitedly. "About Rick?"

"Yeah. She told me. She chose great timing, too."

Rachel blushed and looked down at her feet. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"I have to admit it was smart." Jane tilted her head and smiled to let Rachel know she wasn't mad at her.

"He's really sweet," she said, shyly looking up at her mother. "Rick, I mean. He treats me really well and he's _so_ smart."

Jane smiled at the love-induced smile on her daughter's face. "Is he in the same year as you?"

"He's one year older. He lives like, an hour from Boston."

"How did you two meet?" Maura asked while she dried off a wineglass that was too delicate for the dishwasher.

"He failed an economics class last year, so he's taking it again this year. He's in my class, we did a group assignment together."

"Can we see a picture?" Maura asked, putting down the towel and smiling excitedly.

Rachel nodded. "Sure. But don't be mean, okay?"

"Why would we be mean?" Maura stood next to her daughter and watched her taking out her phone, trying to find a picture.

"Oh, he's so handsome!" Maura grabbed Rachel's phone and looked closer at the photo.

Jane placed her hand on Maura's waist and looked over her shoulder at Rachel's phone, seeing a seemingly tall guy looking at her from the screen. He had brown eyes and a sweet, crooked smile. "He's cute."

"Isn't he?" Rachel blushed and took her phone back. "I still don't know why someone like him wants to be with me but we're doing pretty great so far."

"Are you kidding? He's lucky to have you!" Jane squeezed Rachel's arm. "When can we meet him?"

"I might wait for that a little longer," Rachel smirked. "To make sure he's ready for your interrogations."

"I would never-..."

"Jane." Maura tilted her head and chuckled, looking back at her wife.

"Okay yeah, I need to know if he's good for you!"

"He is, I promise."

Jane nodded, looking at her oldest daughter, seeing her eyes sparkling with young love. She was happy. "As long as you're happy," she said softly. "That's all that matters."


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N Thanks to the guest that suggested the spider story idea! I hope I did the suggestion justice. And thanks to all of the other readers that left ideas, I love all of them!_

Chapter 22

"Rachel?" Morgan peaked her head through her sister's bedroom door. "Rachel…"

Rachel groaned while she slowly woke up from a deep sleep.

"Rach!"

"What?" Rachel furrowed her brow and looked angry as she opened her eyes. "It's the middle of the night, Morgan!" She growled and turned on her back, pulling the blankets higher around herself. "What do you want?"

"Rach, there's a spider in my room."

"So? Not my problem," Rachel replied annoyed, turning back to hide herself in her pillow.

"C'mon, please!" Morgan walked into her sister's room. "It's really big!"

"Why don't you ask Ma?"

"I don't want to wake her…" Morgan fumbled with her pajama shirt.

"So you decided to wake me?" Rachel raised her hands and groaned again but she threw the blankets away, put on a robe and took Morgan's hand. "You know, you're thirteen, you should be able to get rid of a spider by yourself."

"It's huge!" Morgan whispered, lowering her voice as they walked up the stairs towards her bedroom.

"Okay," Rachel sighed deeply and winced at the harsh light coming from Morgan's room. "Where is this monster?"

"Above my-…" Morgan took in a sharp breath and whimpered quietly. "It's gone!"

"Shh, you'll wake everyone!"

"It's gone, Rach! Where did it go?!" Morgan ran towards the chair by her desk and sat on it on her knees, looking around the room with wide eyes.

Rachel chuckled. "You're such a baby. Where did you see it?"

"Above my bed! And I'm not a baby."

"You are a little bit," Rachel replied, stepping towards Morgan's bed to look behind and under it. "I don't see anything."

"I swear; it was right there." Morgan pointed at the wall. "It was huge! With long, hairy legs!" She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Rachel searched under the bed, the nightstand, inspected the wall and the floor but she didn't find anything. "I don't see it, Morgan."

Morgan shook her head, genuinely terrified. "I'm not sleeping while that thing is still in my room."

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Rachel asked while she rubbed her forehead.

"No! It was right there, I told you!"

"Yeah, but y'know, it could've been a shadow or something."

"I'm not crazy!"

"Shhh!" Rachel shot her sister an angry look.

"What on earth is going on here?" Maura stood in the doorway, looking at Morgan on her knees on her chair and Rachel by her sister's bed. "Why are you out of bed in the middle of the night, why are all the lights on and why are you being so loud?"

"There was a spider in my room." Morgan looked down at her fumbling hands. "And now we can't find it."

"I think it was just a weird shadow or something, Morgan," Rachel said, looking behind the bed one more time. "I really don't see anything."

Maura looked at Morgan and saw that she was truly scared. She hated bugs. Spiders especially. "Spiders are harmless, Morgan. They are more afraid of you than you are of them."

"I'm not sleeping in here until we get it." Morgan crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Fine, sleep outside. I don't care. I'm going back to bed." Rachel threw her head back and tied her robe around her waist.

"Rachel." Maura tilted her head, disapproving of the teenager's harsh tone.

Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry. I really don't see anything."

"Thank you for looking," Maura said as she squeezed her daughter's arm.

"No problem. Goodnight." She walked out of the room, leaving Maura with a shivering thirteen-year-old, deadly afraid of a spider.

Maura chuckled and stepped towards the girl to wrap her arm around her shoulders, gently kissing her temple. "Wherever the spider was," she said softly, "it's probably gone now. You can sleep, honey."

Morgan shook her head. "What if it's still there? And it crawls on me when I sleep or-…"

"It won't crawl on you, spiders avoid humans."

"How do you know? This might be a different one!"

Maura sighed deeply. She knew Morgan wasn't sleeping in her bed as long as they didn't catch a spider. She weighed her options. She could either investigate Morgan's entire bedroom, combing through every inch to search for a spider that had probably left a long time ago, or she could take the girl with her and let her sleep in her mother's bed for the rest of the night. She chose the last option.

"Okay then," Maura said with a sigh. "Come with me, we'll search for that evil spider in the morning."

Morgan wanted to protest but one look around her room and the memory of the spider on the wall made up her mind. She grabbed Maura's wrist and followed her mother out of the bedroom, turning off the lights as she walked out the door. "What if it walked towards your room?" Morgan asked, looking up at her mother in the dark.

Maura sighed. "It won't, baby." She quietly opened their bedroom door to avoid waking Jane and led Morgan towards the large bed. "Don't wake Mama," Maura whispered, lifting the blankets for her daughter before getting in herself.

Morgan nodded and got in bed as carefully as she could, but Jane let out a soft groan anyway and opened her eyes. "'s Going on?"

"There's a spider in my room," Morgan whispered, looking down in shame as she fumbled with the blankets over her legs.

Jane groaned.

"We couldn't find it," Maura rubbed her forehead and slid into bed next to Morgan. "We'll look for it in the morning."

"And you can't sleep in your own bed because…?"

"It's still in there somewhere!" 

"Shh," Maura lay her head down on the pillow and stroked Morgan's arm.

"Spiders are not dangerous, Morgan," Jane mumbled, turning on her side and closing her eyes again. "They won't hurt you."

"It could crawl on me."

"That thing is more afraid of-…"

"…of me than I am of him, yeah, yeah. I know." Morgan crossed her arms and turned on her back, looking up at the ceiling.

Maura looked at the girl and was surprised to see tears shimmering in her eyes. "It's okay, honey."

"No, I'll go back to my room if you don't want me here-…" Morgan sat up but Jane reached out her arm and kept her down.

"No, I'm sorry. It's okay, you can stay."

Morgan shook her head.

"Yeah c'mon," Jane sighed and wrapped her arm around the skinny teenager, pulling the girl to her chest while she kissed the top of her head.

Morgan seemed to relax a bit but she still had tears in her eyes.

"It's perfectly normal to have a fear of spiders, Morgan," Maura said while she suppressed a yawn. "A little over thirty percent of US citizens are afraid of spiders, arachnophobia is very common amongst-…"

"Maura." Jane lifted her head to look at her wife. "Can we save this for tomorrow?"

Maura smiled and turned on her stomach, putting her arm over Morgan next to her while she snuggled to get comfortable and warm. "Goodnight, my loves."

Jane mumbled a quiet 'sleep well' but she was back to sleep in only a minute. It took a little longer for Maura but she eventually fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Mom…" Morgan's quiet voice called out for her but she didn't fully register it. "Mom?"

"Hmm…" Maura exhaled deeply and turned her head, opening her eyes to see her daughter curled up into a ball next to her, streaks of tears on her cheeks. "What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare…" Morgan whispered, curling up into an ever tighter ball. "A bad one."

"Oh, baby." Maura wiped a leftover tear from Morgan's cheek and gently pulled her into her arms. "What was it about?"

"Stupid things."

"What stupid things?" Maura smiled gently and rubbed her hand up and down her daughter's back.

Morgan sighed and closed her eyes. "There was a spider in my room, just like now, and there was no one in the house. All the beds were empty and it was all quiet…" Morgan whispered softly. "But then you all came home from doing something fun and you all laughed at me and forced me to stay in my room."

Maura swallowed a lump in her throat. "I promise we don't think your fear of spiders is stupid," she whispered. "We would never laugh at you."

Morgan nodded slowly. "I know. But in my dream I felt so alone… Like none of you were my family any longer and I was just living here… And you really didn't want me here. Like I was just an annoying intruder. I guess-…" Morgan sighed and hid herself in her mother's arms. "I guess that's the nightmare."

Tears burned in Maura's eyes and she closed her eyes to get rid of them. "It's just a nightmare, sweetheart," she whispered. "It's just a dream. Nothing close to reality."

"I k-know…"

"A ridiculous dream." Jane's sleepy voice suddenly called through the dark room and Maura looked at her to see her wife leaning up on her elbow, smiling lovingly at their daughter. "An intruder? Annoying? C'mon!" She chuckled softly and leaned forward the press her lips against the girl's temple. "We're your family, baby."

Morgan turned her head and looked into Jane's eyes, a few tears trickling down into her temple.

"You're our daughter, sweetheart," Maura whispered, pulling her as close as she could. "Our beautiful daughter."

"And we wouldn't laugh at you for being afraid of a spider," Jane added. "We just act a little grumpy in the middle of the night, that's all. But we still love you like crazy."

Morgan managed a smile. "I know."

"Try to sleep, honey," Maura whispered quietly. She gently brushed Morgan's dark hair back. "We're here for after the bad dreams."

It didn't take long for Morgan to fall back asleep, safely wrapped up in Maura's arms, Jane sleeping behind her, the house quiet and without spiders.

The next morning, Jane and Morgan were already watching the TV, the sound of the program very quiet as Maura woke up from her sleep. She opened her eyes and saw Morgan sitting against Jane's side, looking sleepy as she watched the television. Morgan's skinny arms were wrapped around Jane's left arm on her legs and they both looked sleepy and peaceful, eliciting a loving smile from the blonde.

She was about to say good morning when the bedroom door opened and a mess of dark curls appeared. Maura sat up, letting Jane and Morgan know she was awake as she greeted their youngest daughter. "Morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine." Lily had her hands closed together and walked carefully towards Maura's side of the bed.

"That looks suspicious," Maura said, looking at her daughter's hands.

"I found a spider!"

"What?!" Morgan crawled into Jane's lap, far away from her sister and the spider she was holding.

"Yeah, it was on the wall." Lily opened her hands an inch to look inside. "It's really big, look!"

"Don't let it escape!" Morgan whimpered and shifted further into Jane's arms that held her tightly.

"Shh, it's okay baby." Jane chuckled. "Lily won't let it escape. Right, Lil?"

"I might." Lily smirked and opened her hands a little further.

"NO! Don't you dare!" Morgan pointed her finger at her sister.

"Lily, don't." Maura shook her head but couldn't help smiling. "Just let it outside, okay?"

"Okay, okay." Lily giggled. "I'm gonna let it out of the window!"

Maura smiled and sat up further, watching her little girl opening the curtains, revealing a grey sky. She opened the window which let in a cold draft as she reached out, standing on her toes to leave the spider somewhere safe.

"Be careful, baby," Maura warned, not liking how far Morgan reached out.

"Yeah." Lily reached out further and then pulled back with a proud smile on her face. "Done! Be safe, spider!" She called out of the window. "It's in the plant thing on the wall."

"Ivy. Thank you."

"Close the window, please?" Jane asked, shivering from the cold.

Lily closed the window and wiped her hands on her pajama pants when she climbed into bed next to Maura. "It tickles."

Maura smiled, shaking her head while she took Lily in her arms. "God, you would pick up a poisonous snake if no one kept you from it." She chuckled and kissed the side of her daughter's head. "My fearless little daredevil."

"Daredevil? C'mon Mom, it was just a spider!"

"A big one," Morgan mumbled against Jane.

"Well, the good news is that it's gone so you can safely sleep in your own bed tonight." Jane smiled a reassuring smile and rubbed Morgan's back.

"Mom?" Lily untangled herself from her mother to look at Maura.

"Hm?" Maura brushed the girl's curls out of her face.

"Will you practice with me? In the backyard?" She smiled hopefully, looking at her mother with wide eyes, knowing how to persuade the blonde with her big, dark doe-eyes.

"Me?" Maura raised her eyebrows. "You want me to practice with you?"

"Yeah! You're really fast."

"Really? I'm not nearly as fast as Mama."

"But you're still fast. I just wanna practice with you for once, Mom." Lily pouted and Maura chuckled at the young girl.

"Well, go get ready then!" Maura patted the girl's bottom and urged her off the bed. "Breakfast first."

"Yeah!" Lily jumped up in excitement and ran out of the room to get dressed.

Maura smiled and turned to capture Jane's lips in a sweet kiss, gently leaning over Morgan who was still in her wife's arms, too sleepy to move. "She's very energetic this morning."

"She doesn't get that from me." Jane smirked and cupped Maura's face, gently caressing her cheek. "Go kick her butt."

"I will." Maura chuckled and got out of bed, getting dressed in a pair of warm yoga leggings and a red sweater, tying her hair up in a ponytail and deciding to leave her makeup for that morning. She searched for her running shoes and hurried downstairs to get some breakfast ready for her and Lily, opting for a quick but healthy cereal.

Once outside, Lily was all energy and motivation. It was cold and the sky was grey, the grass still damp from the snow. "Mom," Lily threw a baseball at her mother. "Throw it as hard as you can, okay?" She slammed her glove and grinned at her.

Maura used the exact throwing technique she was supposed to use, but she knew the ball didn't have as much force as it would have when Lily threw it. Lily didn't mind. "Nice one!" They threw it back and forth for a while until Lily called out, "Now give me a low one!"

Maura threw it, eliciting a mocking laugh from the nine-year-old. "That was so high!"

"I'm sorry! Yoga is my sport, you know that! Or running, or-…"

"BORING!" Lily laughed and ran across the yard towards her mother instead of throwing the ball.

"Boring?" Maura gasped playfully and ran after the fast girl. "Are you calling me boring?" 

"No!" Lily laughed but she wasn't that much faster than her mother, who had surprisingly strong legs due to yoga and quite the stamina from her regular runs. Lily headed out of the backyard and ran across the street, trying to get away from her mother.

In the end, Lily's shorter legs weren't able to outrun the blonde and Maura reached her to scoop the girl up in her arms, lifting her off the ground and in the air. She tickled the girl's stomach, eliciting sweet laughs.

"Mom, st-stop!" She laughed and grabbed Maura's hands to stop her tickles. "You're not boring!" Lily panted and Maura stopped tickling. "You're faster than me!"

Maura laughed and pulled the girl into her arms to hug her tight. "Don't you forget it, young lady!" She held the embrace for a while longer until she saw a man looking at them while he walked his dog.

Maura nodded politely at him and shifted Lily on her hip, feeling that the girl was getting a little too heavy to be carrying like this.

"She's a beauty," the man said with a nod towards Lily as his dog walked towards them and he followed.

"She is, isn't she?" Maura smiled and pressed her lips against Lily's temple before the girl shrugged herself out of her mother's arms and kneeled down next to the dog to pet the small animal.

"Do you have a dog?" he asked.

Lily shook her head. "No. Mom doesn't want one."

"Oh, don't blame me." Maura shook her head and smiled apologetically at the man. "Our oldest daughter is allergic."

"She doesn't even live with us," Lily said, looking up at the stranger behind her. "She's in college."

Maura chuckled, looking lovingly at her youngest daughter.

"So, is she yours?" the man asked.

Maura furrowed her brow. "Yes, she is."

The man raised his eyebrows. "Really? She's yours? Your husband must have strong genes. She doesn't look a thing like you."

According to his chuckle it was meant to be a joke but Maura couldn't manage a smile.

"Mom doesn't have a husband!" Lily laughed and stood up from petting the dog.

"You're divorced?"

"She's not divorced," Lily furrowed her brow. "Divorce is stupid. Mom and Ma are way too gross in lovey-dovey."

Maura sighed and squeezed Lily's shoulder to stop her from saying anything that came to her mind. She really didn't feel like having this conversation with a stranger on a cold morning. "My wife and I have been happily married for almost fifteen years."

"Wife?" He raised his eyebrows. "Oh-… Oh, okay I understand." He smiled and nodded. "So she really isn't yours."

"She is." Maura put her right hand on her hip and her left on Lily's shoulder in front of her.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that! I meant, biologically, you know?"

Maura sighed deeply again and nodded her head at the man. "Yes. I'm sorry, we have to go. Good day." She took Lily's hand and headed back home without looking at the man. She knew he didn't mean to be rude and that he was probably just uneducated but she just couldn't deal with it in this moment.

"Mom?" Lily looked up at her mother, using her free hand to throw the baseball up in the air and catch it.

"Yes, baby?"

"What did he mean by saying I'm not yours?"

"Oh, he just doesn't understand. That's all." Maura smiled at her daughter and caressed her cold cheek. "You're mine."

"But he said, biologically. And he said I don't look like you, and that's kinda true."

Maura closed her eyes for a brief second, knowing that they needed to have this conversation sooner or later. She had known ever since Lily was born. She had just hoped it wouldn't be during a blissful Christmas break when Lily was only nine years old.

"I mean," Lily continued in her childish naivety, "I only look like Ma, everyone says so. And the rest of us is adopted so of course they don't look like you, but you gave birth to me! So that means I'm yours, right?" She looked up at her mother again, her dark eyes wide in curiosity. "Then why don't I look like you?"

Maura sighed and cupped Lily's cheek when they reached their backyard again. "You don't look like me because you don't have my DNA."

Lily furrowed her brow. "D and A?"

"Okay, let's go inside and get some hot chocolate, alright? Then Mama and I will have a talk with you and you can ask every question you want to ask. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded, still a bit confused but happy to get an explanation later. "Sounds good."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"I don't get it!" Lily slapped her hand on her leg in frustration. "How could I be in Mom's belly but from Mama's egg-thing?" She looked at her mothers with her brow furrowed, her mouth open, looking almost adorable.

"See, honey," Jane explained again, "to make a baby, you need a cell and an egg. We used my egg, an anonymous cell and we put both of those in Mom's belly. That made a baby and that was you."

"But how do those two things make a baby?"

"That's-…" Jane looked briefly at Maura and turned her attention back to Lily who sat next to her on the front porch. "That's not important right now. The point is-… The point is that you look like me, because you came from my egg."

"So that man was right," Lily said, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I'm not Mom's."

"You are, honey," Maura replied softly. She tucked a curl behind Lily's ear and watched how the girl warmed her hands on her cup of hot chocolate. "I gave birth to you."

"Yeah but I mean…" Lily shook her head to try and figure out this complicated story. Maybe it was too complicated, Jane thought. She was only nine years old and too young for the famous sex talk but she deserved to know the truth. At least parts of it.

"I mean, that means I'm sort of adopted too, maybe?" Lily asked, looking up at Maura. "You're not my biological mother, you said so yourself."

"Well-…" Maura sighed. "That's… partly true."

"But baby," Jane gently took Lily's chin and turned her head to look into her familiar dark eyes, "Mom loves you just as much. It doesn't matter what kind of DNA you've got. Not even a little bit."

Lily nodded. "What does anonymous mean exactly? Does that mean you don't know who's cell it was?"

"Yes, that's what it means," Maura confirmed.

"But the cells come from a man, right?"

"Yes."

"So the cell-man is my father?"

Jane shook her head. "You don't have a father, Lily. You have two mothers."

"Yeah, yeah. But I mean like… from that DNA stuff."

"Technically, your 'father' is just a sperm-…" Maura corrected herself and shook her head, "…cell donor. We don't know who he is and we don't want to know. We are your parents."

"Do you think I look like him?" Lily asked, looking at Jane.

Jane's stomach ached a bit at the question. She had been worrying about this question ever since Lily was born. What if she wanted to know her father? What if the choice for an anonymous donor was a wrong choice? "I don't know, baby," Jane answered quietly. "Maybe."

"I'm not as brave as you are, maybe that's from the cell-guy?"

"No, that's because you're only nine and kids are not supposed to be as brave as an adult detective." Jane smiled and gently caressed her cheek. "You don't get all your traits from DNA, baby. Your love for art… And the way you can look at a good painting for a really long time and get lost in your own work…" Jane paused and looked at her wife with a loving smile, meeting with sparkling hazel eyes. "You get all of that from Mom."

"But-…"

"No, you don't get that from her DNA. You are like that because Mom raised you and brought you into this world and she taught you to love art and always praised your talent, which made you only better." Jane smiled and lowered her hand from Lily's cheek. "We are your parents, that's all it is."

Lily nodded. She looked at the backyard that was slowly starting to get white with snow as she tucked her feet up on the bench and leaned back with her empty cup still in her hands. Maura smiled lovingly at the little girl and wrapped her arm around her shoulders while kissing her temple. "You're ours, sweetheart," she whispered. She rested her chin on top of Lily's head and looked into Jane's eyes.

Jane smiled and remembered the time Maura was pregnant, how the labor lasted hours and hours and brought excruciating pain but she would never forget the tears of happiness that started streaming down Maura's face as soon as they put the little baby girl on her chest. She would never forget how Maura cried the first time Lily latched on to her breast, how Maura's finger so lovingly caressed the baby's cheek and how completely and utterly in love they were with their baby daughter. She was theirs. The sperm donor didn't matter. None of it mattered. Lily was theirs and they loved her with all their hearts.

"You have any more questions?" Jane asked, looking at Lily.

Lily sighed, thought deeply for a moment and shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Okay." Maura kissed the girl's temple. "Ask us any more questions if you think of any."

"I will." Lily smiled and leaned sideways in Maura's arms.

They stayed silent for a few more moments until Lily got restless and got up to find something to do, leaving the women outside. Jane looked at her beautiful wife and smiled at how her cheeks were rosy from the cold, the tip of her nose red and her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She looked gorgeous. "Did that… Did that go okay?" Jane whispered.

Maura sighed. "I hope so. I think she understands."

"She'll understand better when we actually give her the talk."

Maura shook her head and chuckled. "She's only nine, Jane. I'm not planning on that talk any time soon."

"What do you mean? We did Anna at like, eleven? Ten?"

Maura pursed her lips. "Let's give her those few years of bliss before we ruin things," she smiled and turned her head to look at her wife. "She's still so innocent."

"Yeah, she gets that from me." Jane smirked.

"Oh, stop it." Maura laughed and slapped Jane's leg before moving to snuggle into her side, Jane's strong arms wrapping around her.

"I think we're doing okay with them," Jane whispered. "They might just turn out okay!"

"That would be surprising." Maura chuckled, her head resting on Jane's shoulder. "A child with your DNA, turning out okay? I can't even imagine."

Jane gasped playfully but Maura silenced her reply by capturing her lips in a loving kiss, her soft lips immediately putting Jane at ease. She cupped her wife's face and felt Maura's arms wrapping around her neck and pulling her closer into the kiss. When they pulled apart, Maura looked deeply into Jane's eyes, her hands moving across her cheek down to the scarf around her neck, a loving smile curling the blonde's lips.

They had been together for over a decade but the way Maura looked at her still made Jane slightly nervous. Not because she was afraid she would run away, not anymore. Not because she doubted Maura's love and devotion. Her stomach tingled because the love she felt was so overwhelming and infinite, it still scared her a little bit. It scared her that it was possible to fall in love this deeply and to be able to get so lost in a pair of eyes like Maura's.

Maura tilted her head and smiled at her wife. "What?"

Jane shrugged. "Nothing. You look beautiful today."

Maura chuckled and placed a light kiss on the brunette's lips. "So do you, Jane." She moved her hand up to brush her fingers though Jane's curls without breaking eye contact. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jane couldn't stop smiling as she pressed her lips back against Maura's for another loving kiss, feeling her wife's cold lips and warm breath along with the sweet smell of her perfume. "Hey," she said, pulling away, "you know what we still need to do?"

"What?"

"Get away for a few days," Jane smirked. "To have sex all day and all night and also all day."

Maura laughed and shook her head. "You're incorrigible." She chuckled and kissed her wife's lips. "But God, yes. Let's do that." She hummed and moved into Jane's arms, pulling herself as close as possible to the taller Detective. "We wouldn't even have to bring clothes. None whatsoever."

"Exactly! Well, we might put on some for the trip…"

"Yes, but that's all." Maura's arm wrapped tighter around Jane's waist and she chuckled quietly. "We're going to plan this, okay? Promise?"

"Promise." Jane pressed her lips against Maura's temple and moved to rest her cheek against her wife's head, looking at the backyard. The two sat in silence for a long time until it was time to make lunch for the girls, which consisted of leftovers from Christmas dinner.

That afternoon, Lily and Anna were sitting in the living room, lazily hanging on the couch as they finished their card game. "Anna?" Lily asked. "Is it possible to undo an adoption?"

"Undo an adoption?" Anna furrowed her brow.

"Yeah, like… Unadopt someone."

"Oh. Yeah, I looked that up once."

Lily's eyes went wide. "Really?"

Anna nodded. "Yep."

"So…"

"Mom and Ma are not going to undo our adoption."

"But I'm only Mama's. Not Mom's. What if she-… What if she gets mad at me again and she doesn't want me anymore? I mean… I have Mama's D and A stuff, so she's probably stuck with me. But Mom's not stuck with me at all. She can just undo the adoption and I'm out of her way!"

"She would never do that, Lily. Mom loves you."

"Sometimes she doesn't." Lily fumbled with her sweater. "When I break something again, or when I speak without thinking first, or when I say something bad…"

"She just has to correct you because she has to raise you, that's all. She still loves you."

Lily nodded but she had tears in her eyes. "I don't want Mom to unadopt me…"

"You're not even adopted! Lily, Mom gave birth to you!" Anna snapped her attention towards her sister. "I'm adopted! They can undo _my_ adoption and get rid of me, but you are Ma's biological child and Mom carried you!"

Lily furrowed her brow. "Why would they do that? You've been here since you were like, a baby?"

"I was three."

"Okay, then three. They're not gonna send you away after-…" Lily did the math on her fingers, "eleven years!"

"Probably not." Anna shook her head. "You hear how stupid that sounds?"

"Yeah, real stupid! Like they are just gonna say: 'well, Anna's been bad, we're just gonna send her away to the streets or wherever she comes from 'cause we don't feel like being her mommies anymore!"

"Lily, it's the same for you. You've been here literally since you were born. Mom is not going to unadopt you. Which, in fact is not a word, actually."

Lily closed her mouth and stayed silent for a few seconds, failing to come up with a reply. "Yeah…" she said after a while. "Yeah, okay. You're right." She sighed and put the cards back in the paper box. "Unadopting totally is a word, by the way."

Anna shook her head and put her feet up on the couch while Lily moved to lie down with her legs up. "It's not a word."

"It so is! It's like, adopting, but then _un_ -adopting."

"Yeah, I get that. But it's not in a dictionary so it's not a word."

"Like a dictionary has _all_ the words."

"Well yeah… Pretty much."

"It so does not." Lily huffed and moved her legs back and forth. "I invented lots of words that are real words. Like unadopted. And buttronauts. And also liophant, that's a lion and an elephant."

"If you invent a word," Anna said, "it's technically not a real word."

"It is." Lily crossed her arms and turned her head when she saw Maura and Morgan walking through the front door, coming back from getting groceries. "Mom!"

"Hi." Maura smiled and put the paper back on the kitchen counter while Morgan immediately went to unpack everything.

"If I invent a word, that's a real word, right?"

"What?" Maura furrowed her brow and took off her coat.

"Unadopting is a word! Right?"

"Unadopting?" Maura shook her head. "No, honey. I'm afraid not."

Lily gasped. "It is! I invented it."

"But-… Why?" Maura walked towards the couch and sat down on the edge of the coffee table. "Why would you invent the word 'unadopting'?"

Lily shrugged. "Anna found out it's totally possible to unadopt a kid."

Maura turned her attention towards her other daughter. "Anna?" 

Anna looked down and fumbled with her hands, a shameful blush coloring her cheeks. "I looked it up a while ago."

"Why?"

"Because I asked," Morgan said from behind the couch.

Maura looked at the young girl and shook her head. "Do you girls really think there is even the slightest possibility of us _unadopting_ you?"

Morgan shrugged. "I don't know, I just wondered if it was possible and Anna looked it up."

Maura sighed deeply and reached out her arm towards Morgan to invite her to walk around the couch and sit next to her. "Okay," she said softly, wrapping her arm around Morgan while she looked at Anna and Lily. "You are our children. Adopted or not adopted, we are your parents. I'm your mother. A mother doesn't get rid of her child."

"My mother did." Morgan shrugged and looked down at her feet.

Maura sighed and cupped the girl's cheek to look into her blue eyes. "But this mother won't. And your other mother won't either." She looked back at Anna and Lily on the couch. "No matter what you girls do, you'll always be ours."

"Even if we put the house on fire?" Lily asked with a slight smirk.

"Even then."

"Even if we break all your vases?"

"Even then." Maura chuckled.

"Even if we… Even if we throw away all of your shoe boxes?"

"Well no, that will be crossing the line."

Lily gasped but Maura laughed and stopped her from replying. "I'm kidding! No, not even then."

"Even if-…"

"Honey, you're my little girl. I can't live without you. Or without you," she kissed Morgan's temple, "or you." She leaned forward to press her lips against Anna's forehead before pulling away from Morgan to tickle Lily's stomach and give her another sweet kiss. "I'm crazy about you girls! And so is Mama!"

Lily giggled and moved away from her mother's tickles. "Where is Mama?" 

"She's out with Rachel, she'll be home soon." Maura stood up and headed towards the kitchen. "Who wants something to drink?"

"Yellow lemonade!" Lily pointed her finger up in the air, eliciting a sweet chuckle from her mother.

Maura opened the fridge and got out the lemonade, closing it to see Anna standing behind her. "Mom?"

"Hm?"

"I'm-… I'm sorry for looking that up…" she whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted to know."

"I know, sweetheart," Maura smiled and put down the lemonade, cupping Anna's face and brushing her light hair back. "Just know that we would never, ever want you to go away. Never." She pressed her lips against Anna's forehead before pulling her in for a sweet hug. "I love you way too much."

Anna's slim arms wrapped around her mother's waist. "Love you too," she whispered against Maura's chest. "Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Unadopting isn't a word, right?"

Maura chuckled. "No, baby. It's not. And neither are those other words Lily invented." She rubbed her hand up and down Anna's back and looked at Lily who was bouncing on her knees on the couch as she tried to get Morgan to play another game with her. "But maybe we should just let her believe she can invent real words," she said with a loving smile. "It makes her happy."

 _A/N I'll be gone for a few weeks, so I'm sorry; no updates while I'm gone. Thank you all so much for staying with me through this story and for all your sweet reviews and encouraging words! It means a lot to me to have people read my story and being on this journey with me. Let me know what you think of this chapter! I appreciate every single one of your reviews._


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N I'm back! So sorry for the long wait, I've been through some heavy stuff. But here it is, a new chapter. It is so filled with fluff I almost cried, it's almost too sweet but I just couldn't help myself. Get ready for New Year's with this family! And please let me know what you think, I love to hear your thoughts!_

Chapter 24

"This was a good idea," Jane whispered while she nuzzled herself into the crook of her wife's neck.

Maura hummed and held Jane's hands on her stomach as she leaned back against the brunette's front. "I think we all needed some time away." She smiled a small smile as she stared at the forest in front of her, watching Anna and Morgan looking for pinecones in the snow while Lily ran away from Rachel who tried to catch her. It was Maura's idea to visit the cabin for New Year's. The small house was too small for the family but it didn't matter. With Morgan being sick and the crazy times the family had been through, they all needed some time off. They would be spending New Year's Eve at the small cabin instead of at their home. Just the six of them. Yes, the house was too small for all of them. Anna and Morgan shared the small bedroom, Lily slept with her mothers and Rachel took the couch but it was only for a few nights and no one seemed to matter.

She sighed deeply and turned in the embrace to face her wife, smiling lovingly as she cupped her cold cheek. Jane's cheeks were pink from the cold air, her hair was frizzy as her curls tried to escape from her ponytail and her eyes were sparkling with love. "Hi," she whispered, looking deeply into dark eyes.

Jane smiled. "Hi." She gently pressed her lips against the blonde's, her arms wrapping tighter around Maura's waist. They kissed softly and lovingly for a short time until the sound of Lily's laughter pulled them out of their moment. Maura chuckled and turned her head, resting it on Jane's chest to look at their girls.

"Look at them," she whispered, watching how Lily's curls bounced on her back as she ran away from Rachel. "Can you believe they are ours?"

"Barely." Jane shook her head, resting her cheek against Maura's temple. She was looking at Anna. No one could deny that Anna was one of the most beautiful girls in the world. She had no idea herself, which only made her more beautiful. It scared Jane. It scared her to have a beautiful daughter like Anna. Along with her shy personality, her quietness and fear of new situations, she was an easy target. For boys. For girls. For anyone. She wasn't like Lily. Lily fought and screamed. Anna stayed silent. Jane knew she was strong inside, but she wanted to protect her little girl. She wanted to protect her children from harm, at any cost. "Anna is growing," she said softly. "So fast."

Maura nodded. "It seems like yesterday we took her in as that little, quiet three-year-old."

"Not so little anymore," Jane sighed and tightened her arms around her wife. "I wish I could stop time and make her stay my little girl forever."

Maura chuckled and turned her attention towards her wife. "She won't be," she whispered. "She'll grow into a woman. And we have to let her go. Just like we let go of Rachel, just like we have to let go of Morgan and Lily."

"Letting go isn't one of my specialties."

"I know." Maura smiled and kissed her wife's cold lips again. "It's a good thing we can hold on to them a little longer."

"Mom!" Lily's voice pulled them out of their quiet conversation and Maura turned her attention towards the young girl. "Mom, look at this huge bug!" She pointed at a rock and Maura chuckled as she walked towards her daughter. "Do you know what kind it is?"

Maura kneeled next to Lily and stared at the brightly colored bug that looked like a caterpillar. "I'm sorry, baby," Maura said, furrowing her brow. "I'm not sure."

"It looks so cool." Lily's mouth hung open and she stared at the bug. "Like his back is painted."

"Hm." Maura smiled at her daughter's fascination, brushing her hand through the girl's curls while she kissed her temple. "Don't kneel in the snow for too long, honey," she said while standing up. "You'll freeze."

"Can I pick it up?" Lily asked, pointing at the bug.

"No, baby. Just leave it." Maura shook her head and watched Lily studying the rock intently. She looked up when she noticed the sound of Anna and Morgan's chatter quieting. Anna was walking back to the house, following Jane and Rachel while Morgan stayed behind and waited for Maura.

"What's wrong?" Maura asked, catching up with the short teenager.

Morgan shrugged. "Nothing." She allowed her mother to wrap her arm around her shoulders and leaned into her side. She was doing better. Her fever was gone and even though her throat was still hurting and the cold wouldn't go away, she wasn't nearly as sick as she was during Christmas.

They slowly walked towards the small house where Jane was in the kitchen, preparing hot chocolate with the girls as Maura sat down on the couch, Morgan sitting next to her. Maura chuckled, wrapping the girl up in her arms. "You're in a cuddly mood," she said with a smile. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Morgan nodded. "Just tired." She tucked her feet up on the couch and sighed deeply. "Do you think we can see fireworks from here?"

"Maybe, if we go into the open space down the road."

"Can we?"

"Sure, I'm sure the others would love to see it as well."

"See what?" Lily asked while bolting into the room, pulling off her scarf and coat.

"Fireworks."

"Yeah! Can I light them like last year?"

"Absolutely not." Maura shook her head firmly. "I did not agree with that last year and I won't agree with it this year," she said, looking at her wife in the kitchen.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea!"

"You handed her the lighter!"

"It wasn't my lighter!"

"Mama's right, it was Uncle Frankie's idea and it was his lighter." Lily nodded and sat down on Maura's other side.

"I don't care whose idea or whose lighter it was. It was irresponsible."

"But kinda cool." Lily smirked, tilting her head as she looked at her mother.

"Lillian." Maura furrowed her brow, her voice strict and firm.

Lily lowered her head. "Sorry."

"It was a stupid idea," Jane said softly while she walked towards the small living room to hand her daughters a cup of hot chocolate. "Tonight we'll just watch fireworks and that's it."

And they did. The closer midnight came, the sleepier Lily got. She was lying with her head in Maura's lap and had fallen asleep an hour before midnight, soothed by her mother's gentle strokes through her hair and the sound of the crackling fireplace. They had no TV and relied on Jane's watch to count down to the New Year. It was refreshing and calm.

"This year kinda sucked," Rachel said while she lifted her glass for a toast, "but it was also kinda cool. So let's hope next year will be cooler, with less sucking."

Maura chuckled and shook her head. "Watch your language, please."

"I'm just saying!" Rachel laughed and slumped back against the wall she was sitting against. "Life without Dad still suck-… stinks. It stinks big time. But this year I went to college, and you guys became our official parents and I met Rick, so… It was also kinda cool."

Maura smiled lovingly at the beautiful teenager on the floor. "I agree."

"What was your favorite part of this year?" Morgan asked from the chair where she sat snuggled up against Jane's side.

Rachel pursed her lips. "Getting adopted. No, meeting Rick. No-… Both."

Morgan chuckled. "My favorite part was getting adopted. And the worst part was getting stuck in the storm with Mom. And also that Amelia woman."

"Oh, yes. Definitely." Maura smiled sadly at the memory of that horrible night and that equally horrible woman and turned her attention back to her youngest daughter in her lap. "What time is it, Jane?"

"Fifteen minutes 'til midnight."

Maura sighed. "Lily, baby," she said softly while she shook Lily's shoulder. "Wake up, it's almost midnight."

"Hmm?" Lily exhaled deeply and curled up on the couch.

"It's almost time, honey. You don't want to miss the fireworks, do you?"

"Fireworks?" This woke Lily up and she slowly opened her eyes, looking up at her mother above her.

Maura chuckled. "Come on, sweetheart," she pulled Lily up and kissed her forehead. "Let's go find your coat." She stood up from the couch and brushed her hand through Lily's dark curls. "Take out your hearing aids. They won't be able to stand the sounds."

A few minutes later, the family was bundled up in warm clothes and standing outside in the open space in the forest, staring at the dark sky that was covered with stars. As Lily stated, it looked like they could see the whole galaxy up there. It was beautiful. With Jane's arms wrapped tightly around Maura's upper body and both women staring at their beautiful daughters, New Year's Eve couldn't be more perfect.

They all counted down until midnight and broke into loud cheers and hugs and kisses that lasted until the fireworks broke out, lighting up the sky and the family on the ground. Tears burned in Maura's eyes as she looked around, watching Lily jumping up and down, Morgan and Anna standing next to each other in front of the two women that were wrapped up in a sweet hug.

"Hey," Jane's husky voice caught Maura's attention.

Maura smiled brightly and shook her head while she leaned up and kissed the beautiful brunette in front of her. "Happy New Year, my love," she whispered against Jane's lips before pulling back to look into her sparkling dark eyes.

"Happy New Year," Jane kissed her wife's lips again and tightened her arms around her waist. "I love you, Maura."

"I love you too, Jane." Maura smiled a love-induced smile and pulled herself against her wife, resting her head on the taller woman's chest while she looked at the children in front of them.

"Maur…"

"Hm?"

Jane nodded her head to the side and Maura saw Rachel standing with her back to the family, her arms wrapped around herself while she looked up at the sky. She was crying. "Rachel…" Maura sighed and walked towards the teenager, Jane following closely.

Rachel quickly wiped her tears but there was no way to fool her mothers. They both wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and Maura kissed her temple. "Sweetheart…"

Rachel shook her head. "I'm okay."

"Come here," Maura whispered while she wrapped her arms around her oldest daughter, pulling her in between them for a tight, loving hug. "Happy New Year, my sweet girl."

"Happy New Year, Mom." Rachel sniffled and buried herself in her mothers' arms without explaining where her emotions came from.

"Hey," Jane cupped Rachel's cheek and looked into her eyes with a smile on her face, "I love you, Rach."

"Love you too, Ma." Rachel smirked and threw her arms around Jane's neck. She pulled away when a loud bang sounded through the sky, the fireworks lighting up the forest, eliciting a gasp from the family on the ground.

"That's amazing," Rachel whispered.

"Mama, did you see that?!" Lily came running towards her mother, smiling excitedly.

"Yeah, I did!" Jane laughed and pulled away from Rachel to wrap her arms around Lily and pull her up from the ground, placing the girl on her hip. She pressed her lips against her daughter's cheek, her eyes sparkling with love. "It's gonna be a good year, Lil," she said softly.

"Hm?" Lily furrowed her brow. The fireworks were loud and her hearing aids were inside so she heard absolutely nothing besides the continuing loud bangs from the sky.

Jane just shook her head and gave the girl another sweet kiss, pulling her close while they looked up at the sky again. It didn't take too long for Morgan and Anna to join them, Morgan standing in between Maura and Rachel and Anna nuzzling herself in between her mothers, tightly holding on to Maura's hand on her chest.

Maura couldn't wipe the loving smile off her face and looked down to see Anna turning her head, looking up at her mother with those beautiful grey eyes that still sparkled in the dark. Maura chuckled and moved her arm away from around Morgan's shoulders to gently caress Anna's cheek. This was the kind of New Year's Eve Anna loved. Just her mothers and sisters, alone in the woods. No crowded houses, no loud chatter, overwhelming stories. Just them. Just their love for each other. Anna soaked it all in and she was glowing. Her red cheeks could have been caused by lack of sleep but Maura didn't miss the sparkle in the girl's eyes. She was happy here.

They all watched the fireworks until the forest turned quiet except for the calming sounds of nature. Morgan shivered against Maura's side, signaling that it was time to get inside where the flames of the fireplace were warming up the house. Maura wrapped her arms around her two daughters and gently squeezed their shoulders. "Time to get inside," she said softly, her ears still ringing from the loud bangs.

"Can we have some more hot chocolate?" Morgan asked, her skinny arm wrapping around her mother while she followed her family towards the small house.

"One more. Then it's time for bed, you can't afford to lose any more sleep now that you just got better."

Morgan smiled and nodded, agreeing with her mother. She hated being sick and did anything to stay healthy.

Inside, the fire was glowing and the temperate was warm, causing them all to shiver while taking off their coats. Morgan immediately went off to prepare her promised hot chocolate, Rachel following quickly. Maura chuckled at the two sisters while she brushed her fingers through Lily's curls in front of her as the girl put her hearing aids back in. "It's bedtime for you, honey."

"Already?" Lily turned around with a pout.

"Already? It's nearly 1AM, miss!" Maura smiled and cupped Lily's face. "Time for bed."

Lily sighed but agreed with her mother by grabbing her hands and pulling them from her face. "Will you take me?"

Maura raised her eyebrows. Lily often claimed to be too old for a bedtime story or sleep-well-snuggles.

"Not for a story or anything," Lily said while she rolled her eyes, eliciting a chuckle from her mother. She took Maura's hand and dragged her towards the stairs. "I'm too old for bedtime stories."

"Oh stop it, you're only nine!"

"Yeah!" Lily frowned at her mother. She didn't like to be treated like a little girl.

Maura laughed and shook her head. "Go say goodnight to Mama." She watched Lily hurrying towards Jane to give her a quick hug before shouting a 'goodnight' through the house at her siblings and following Maura upstairs.

"Where are your pajamas?" Maura pulled the covers away from the big bed.

"Dunno." Lily shrugged, sitting on the floor while she kicked off her shoes.

"Put those away, please. We'll fall over them tonight."

Lily giggled. "I'd like to see that, maybe I'll leave them."

Maura tilted her head but couldn't help a smile from curling her lips. "Lillian."

"Just kidding." Lily smirked and put her shoes away after kicking off her pants. "Oh! My pajamas got dirty from breakfast so Mama put them in the laundry thingy."

Maura sighed. "And we didn't bring new ones. Okay, take off your sweater," Maura pulled the red sweater over Lily's head, leaving her in a white tank top. "This will do just fine for pajamas tonight."

"It's cold, though," Lily shivered and ran towards the bed, jumping on it and burying herself in blankets.

Maura chuckled. "Leave some blankets for Mama and me, please."

"Nope." Lily shook her head and rolled herself up in her pillow, taking all the covers.

"You'll be sleeping like a baby soon," Maura said while she sat down next to her daughter, "we can blow up the house and you'll sleep through it."

"Why don't you try?"

"I won't." Maura smiled and smoothed her daughter's messy curls, thinking they should have brushed them before bed. "Did you have a good New Year's?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah. It was a good one."

"I think so too." 

"What was your favorite part?" Lily turned on her side, facing her mother while pulling the covers up around her shoulders.

Maura smiled lovingly before pursing her lips and thinking about the question. "The fireworks. Because it made you all happy."

"That was my favorite part too," Lily replied with a smile. "But I don't like that my hearing aids don't work during fireworks. 'Cause then I don't hear them like normal."

"Oh, they're just loud bangs, that's all. You didn't miss anything, honey."

Lily shrugged. "I know. But still. It's not like before."

Maura's smile fell and she sighed. It had been a long time but Lily was still adjusting to her hearing loss. "Nothing is like it was before, baby," she said softly. "But you became so much stronger through it all."

"Stronger?" Lily furrowed her brow. "I'm deaf now-…"

"You're not," Maura interrupted her daughter. "Being deaf is a whole different thing, honey. You can still hear. And you are stronger than you think."

"I once beat Mama in arm wrestling." Lily grinned proudly.

Maura chuckled and shook her head. "I don't mean that kind of strength, and you know that."

"I know." Lily smirked and suppressed a yawn. "And I also know Mama let me win, 'cause she's way stronger than me."

Maura nodded. "And you also know Mama does that because she loves you," she leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. "And so do I."

Lily wrinkled her nose but her smile gave her away. "Love you too, Mom."

After another goodnight kiss, Maura gently caressed Lily's cheek and stood up to turn off the lights. "Sleep well, my sweet girl," she said softly. "I love you." She smiled when Lily said something in the middle of a yawn that was probably 'goodnight'. She closed the door and headed downstairs, back to the sound of happy chatter coming from the rest of her family. It was late and she felt exhausted but this lovely night wasn't over yet. She wanted to soak up every minute before they truly had to get some sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Jane. We promised we wouldn't think about work." Maura sat down next to her wife at the small dinner table in the cabin, watching the Detective checking something on her phone.

"Hm." Jane hummed but kept reading the screen of her phone, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Jane."

"Yeah-… Sorry, I…" Jane shook her head and sighed. "The guy we took in last week managed bail and got out."

"While he was convicted for murder?" Maura raised her eyebrows.

"No, we're still working on the evidence. We were holding him for a small theft. We're working on finding his partner, he's still out there somewhere."

Maura sighed and reached out to gently brush her hand through her wife's curls that were still damp from the shower she took. "Jane," she whispered. "Will you please take a break?"

"Hm?" She turned her head and looked at her wife. "Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. I'm here." She got invested in this case. It sucked her in and she wasn't sure why. "I'm having trouble letting this one go," she said softly, smirking apologetically.

"He made it personal," Maura shrugged, her hand moving down from Jane's hair to her neck. "Don't let it get to you. He doesn't know any better."

"It's because I'm a woman." Jane shook her head and looked at her hands that were fumbling with her phone. "He doesn't take me seriously."

"It's not the first time a suspect is doing this. Why does it bother you so much with this one?"

Jane shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He killed that young woman, I want him behind bars."

"We all do, Jane. And we will get him convicted, but right now your family needs you to be here."

Jane nodded, showing a small smile at her wife. "Where are the girls anyway?"

"Morgan and Anna are outside, Rachel is still sleeping and I hope Lily is finally taking a shower."

Jane hummed and turned in her seat to face her wife. "Doesn't sound like they need me at all." She smirked and tucked a strand of hair behind Maura's ear. "Who's needing me?"

"Maybe I do." Maura chuckled and leaned forward to softly press her lips against the brunette's for a soft, gentle kiss that made both women hum in pleasure. She broke apart and wrapped her arms around Jane's neck while moving to straddle her lap, squeezing the both of them in a tight embrace. "I love you, Jane," she whispered. "This will be a good year."

"Every year with you is a good year." Jane put her head into the crook of Maura's neck as her strong arms wrapped around the blonde's waist. "I love you." She sighed deeply, inhaling the lovely, flowery scent of her wife. She nuzzled herself against the soft skin of Maura's neck as she felt her wife's hands moving up her back to tangle themselves in her hair. She would never get tired of this. She moved her head to look at the gorgeous woman in her lap, watching how her eyes wrinkled with her loving smile, how her hair was getting grey at her temples because her last hairdresser appointment had been a while ago, but Jane loved it. She loved those little signs of growing older, because it meant she was growing old with the love of her life.

"What is it?" Maura whispered, noticing the brunette staring at her.

Jane shook her head. "You are beautiful."

"Please." Maura chuckled and captured her wife's lips in a loving kiss.

Jane hummed into the kiss and moved her hands up and down Maura's sides while they gently broke apart. "You are," she whispered. "Beautiful."

Maura smiled. "Thank you." She wrapped her arms around her wife's neck and pulled herself as close as possible against the taller woman.

"Mom?" Lily came walking downstairs, her hair wet from the shower. "The shower is cold." She shivered and pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her hands.

"Hm, I think we used up the hot water for this morning." Maura smiled and got off her wife's lap.

"Glad I already showered," Jane smirked, opening her arms for her youngest daughter. "Good morning, baby."

"Morning, Mama." Lily pulled herself against her mother.

"You slept like a baby, didn't you?" Jane kissed the side of Lily's head, thinking about the snoring little girl in their bed that night.

"I guess so, I was sleeping so I didn't notice." Lily smirked at her own joke, causing Jane to chuckle.

"Yeah, smart one." Jane shook her head and let go of her daughter. "Go eat breakfast, please. You can warm up some leftover pancakes if you want."

"Can I have them with blueberries?"

"Sure, they are in the fridge." Jane stood up from her seat and turned to see Morgan hurrying into the house. "Hey! Where's Anna?"

"I-… I don't know…" Morgan panted, leaning down to try and catch her breath. "I-… We were outside a-and she went ahead of m-me and-…"

Jane furrowed her brow. "You can't find her?"

Morgan shook her head. "I yelled really loud and all but I didn't find her."

Jane felt her stomach turning. Anna wasn't the type of girl that played games like this. She would know Morgan was worried and she would never let that happen to her sister. She turned around, pulled her coat from a chair and slipped on a pair of sneakers before hurrying outside. "ANNA!"

It was snowing and the wind was blowing like ice in her face while Jane searched around the house. The area was quiet and secluded. Something could easily happen to her girls without anyone noticing. Panic rose in Jane's chest the further she walked around the cabin. There was no sign of her. "ANNA!"

"Mama!" Morgan chased after her mother, her lips blue from the cold, her scarf high around her neck. "W-we went this way-…" she pointed at the left. "To get to the lake."

"The lake?"

"Yeah but we didn't get there!"

Jane nodded and increased her pace, walking in circles to search the entire area. She thought about how familiar this felt. How awfully familiar this felt to the time she searched for Morgan and Maura as they were stranded in that awful storm. She never wanted to feel that way again but here she was.

"JANE!" Maura's voice called out from behind her.

She turned around and saw her wife holding up something in the distance. "What is it?" she asked when she reached the blonde.

"Anna's phone." Maura panted, tears shimmering in her eyes. "It-… It's wet b-but it still works…"

Jane took the phone but she knew it was no use. This was a bad sign. Anna wouldn't be able to contact anyone without her phone. Jane took a deep breath and turned around to hide her tears. "ANNAAAAAA!" she yelled, her throat hurting, raw from the cold and screaming. "ANNA! ANNA!"

"Jane."

"ANNAAAA!" Jane put her hands around her mouth to hope and increase her volume even though she knew it wouldn't help. "ANNA!"

"Jane!" Maura put her hand on Jane's arm and looked at her, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"WHAT?!" 

"Screaming doesn't help, Jane. We need to think."

Jane felt anger bubbling in her stomach. "Think?"

"I mean-…"

"No, you go _think_ , Maura! You think while I go find our daughter, alright?"

"Jane…"

"Stop Jane-ing me!"

"I'm just saying it's no use to run around screaming for her, we need a plan!" 

"Oh my God Maura! Every second we spend thinking about a _plan,_ chances are getting smaller we will find her!"

"We will find her."

"Stop." Jane raised her hands and stepped back.

"Let's just think-…"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Maura." Jane shook her head and turned her back on her wife. She couldn't think. Why would she think? She had to find Anna. She had to look for her. Something bad could have happened. She could be in pain, freezing cold, deadly afraid… She needed to find Anna and that was it. "ANNA!" She ran away from the house towards the lake, looking through the trees to find any sign whatsoever of Anna's red coat and blond hair.

But there was no sign of her. The lake was empty. No sign of Anna. "ANNA!" Jane's raspy voice sounded across the lake, travelling through the forest without anyone hearing her. "ANNA!" Jane started spinning in circles, looking frantically around herself. "ANNA! Anna… Anna…" she kept saying her daughter's name as if it would calm her down, even though the opposite happened.

"Ma…" A quiet voice came from behind Jane but she didn't pay attention.

"Anna…"

"Mama."

Jane looked up and saw Morgan staring at her with tears in her eyes. "She's not here, Ma," Morgan said softly. "She would've heard us by now."

Jane shook her head.

"She would've come out by now." Morgan looked up at Jane, fear showing in her bright blue eyes. "She's not here."

"No-…" Jane whimpered and rubbed her forehead, but she knew Morgan was right.

"Come on," Morgan gently took Jane's hand in hers. "We have to go back inside."

"No. I have to keep looking." Jane shook her head and squeezed Morgan's hand. "You go inside, you're getting cold."

"But-…"

"Rizzoli." A deep, male voice pulled them out of their conversation.

Jane snapped her head up and saw a familiar man looking at them from in between a few trees.

"Looking for your daughter?" He stepped forward and Jane instinctively reached for her gun before realizing she didn't bring it.

"Where is she?"

He shrugged. "Not here." He smiled an evil smile. It was his partner. The partner of their prime suspect in their latest case. "My friend is taking good care of her, don't worry."

"WHERE IS SHE?"

"Calm down, Detective!" The man chuckled, coming closer but keeping a safe distance from Jane and Morgan. "She's just fine for now. Let me introduce myself first."

"I know who you are, you sick son of a bitch." Jane surprised herself by the dangerous tone in her voice. She was ready to strangle this man.

"You do?"

"Roger Thompson." 

"Right!" The man smiled that awful smile again. "Now listen. You are working on our case, and I know you can do me a favor."

"Why would I?"

"That's a stupid question." Roger laughed and pointed at Morgan. "Isn't that a stupid question?" He looked back at Jane. "Because I got your kid, that's why. You can get her back, if you do me a favor."

Jane didn't reply. She knew this game.

"You can let us go, Rizzoli. I know you can."

Jane shook her head. "You're wrong."

"Come on, Rizzoli. It's not that hard to get rid of the jacket with the DNA."

"You're even stupider than I thought you were." Jane gritted her teeth and carefully stepped in front of Morgan, feeling the girl shaking behind her. "We know where you are, I can get the team here and you'll be in handcuffs in less than a minute. Don't make it harder on yourself, Roger."

Roger let out a huff of air. "You have no idea. For all you know he's taking apart your kid right now."

Jane's stomach turned.

"Listen. You go back to Boston, get rid of that evidence, and we'll deliver your little girl right on your doorstep. Alright?"

"You know that's not how it works."

"I know that's how it can work. It's not the first time." He leaned sideways against a tree and put his hand in his side. "Now, usually we work with money. But I know you're not interested in money. Your little wifey has enough money as it is."

"Shut up," Jane growled.

"But those kids right there," he pointed at Morgan, "that's your weak spot. So it's simple." He lifted himself up and looked into Jane's eyes. "Get rid of the evidence, and we won't get rid of your kid." He smiled again. "It would be a shame, really. Such a beautiful young girl. Truly, truly beautiful."

It was like hot fire raged through Jane's chest. She felt herself bolting forward towards the man, Morgan's scream in the back of her mind. Her hands were around his throat before she knew what was happening, but she felt a heavy foot in her stomach, taking all her breath away. A blinding pain shot through her abdomen and she crawled up from the ground, but it was too late. The man was gone.

"Ma! Mama…" Morgan was at her side immediately, kneeling in the snow next to her mother. "Why did you do that?"

Jane shook her head. She stood back up and started running. She had to follow this guy. She had to follow him towards Anna.

A part of her knew she wasn't thinking clearly and that she should take Morgan and get back to the cabin. But a bigger part of her was thinking about Anna. Her beautiful young daughter that was somewhere all alone with a murderer.

"Mama! MAMA!" Morgan ran after her, the girl was surprisingly fast and caught her by her arm. "STOP!"

"Morgan-…"

"NO STOP IT!" Morgan screamed. "YOU HAVE TO STOP IT!"

"Baby-…"

"YOU HAVE TO STOP, MAMA! You have to stop being so stupid! We gotta find Anna and you need to stop attacking stupid guys and running around like crazy!" The girl was yelling, tears streaming down her face. "Mom is crying inside and we're all so scared and we need you, Mama!"

Fresh tears trickled down Jane's cheeks while she looked at the young girl in front of her. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. I'm sorry, come here baby," she opened her arms and wrapped Morgan up in a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry. Let's go inside."

Morgan nodded. She wrapped her skinny arm around Jane's waist and followed her back to the house, where the rest of the family was close to panicking themselves. As soon as Jane saw the house, she heard Lily's voice calling out to her and saw the little girl running towards them as fast as she could.

"Mama!" Lily almost knocked Jane over as the brunette lifted her up in her arms, lifting her off the ground. "What's happening, Mama?" Lily asked softly, her voice laced with tears. "Where's Anna?"

"We don't know, baby." Jane sighed and pulled back to look at her youngest daughter. "But we're gonna find her. I know it."

Lily nodded and leaned forward to hide herself into the crook of Jane's neck. "I'm scared," she whispered, her small voice weak and vulnerable.

"I know, honey. We all are." Jane looked inside and saw Maura pacing through the living room, biting her thumb in fear. She sighed deeply and braced herself before putting Lily down and walking inside. "Maura."

Maura didn't pay attention. She was clutching her phone in her hand and didn't stop pacing.

"Maura, I'm sorry-…"

"Don't." Maura shook her head.

"I was-…"

"DON'T!" Maura pointed her finger at her wife, her eyes screaming anger. "Don't come in here and tell me you're sorry after treating me like that!"

"I-…" Jane sighed and looked down at her feet. "I don't know what to say, I was horrible."

"Don't-… Don't…" Maura shook her head and put her hand over her eyes to cover a fresh flood of tears. "Where is she, Jane?" she whispered. "Where's my little girl?"

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and carefully stepped towards the blonde, reaching out her arms when she saw no reluctance in her wife. She pulled Maura into a tight hug. "We're gonna find her, Maur," she said softly. She pulled back and gently reached out to wipe a tear from Maura's cheek. "Listen," she sighed and proceed to tell Maura what happened in the forest, only raising the panic in her wife.

They contacted BPD and the team immediately sprung to action but Jane was scared. She was scared it was too late. Scared those men were too smart. She helped the team wherever she could but it was hard to think clearly. She could only feel concern and fear for her daughter. She wanted her back. Her Anna.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I'm sorry to keep you all nervous, I hope you will like this chapter! Let's find out if Anna will be okay…_

Chapter 26

Anna had been missing for six hours. Six hours of fear, pain and incredible anxiety. Six hours of pacing, crying and searching with no result. The entire BPD team was located in the forest and the Rizzoli-Isles family spent their time in the small cabin going crazy.

"Maura!" Jane hurried into the house, pulling her scarf away. "We got a lead."

"What?" Maura pulled Lily off her lap and stood up from the couch. "What did you find?"

"A phone signal. We're going after it."

"I want to come."

Jane shook her head. "Someone's gotta stay with the girls, Maur."

"We'll be fine, Ma," Rachel straightened her back, sitting on top of the dinner table. "You can take Mom."

Jane sighed. She worried about the rest of the family. "You sure?" she asked softly, walking up to the teenager to squeeze her arm.

"Yeah. Go." Rachel smiled sadly and threw her arms around Jane's neck. "Find her, Ma," she whispered. "Please."

"We will." Jane nodded and pulled away to give Lily a kiss and hug Morgan before taking Maura's hand. "You ready?"

Maura zipped up her coat and nodded her head. "Yes." She was more than ready to find her little girl. She wanted nothing more than to have that beautiful teenager back in her arms again.

"So, the signal is in a different forest not too far from here," Jane said while they walked towards the car. "Frost is tracking it."

"Hi." Barry greeted Maura with a smile, starting the car. "You ready to find her?"

"More than anything." Maura watched Jane taking place in the passenger seat before they drove off in high speed. "Where exactly are we going?"

"We're not sure, but it's in a forest. A shed, cabin, small house…" Barry shrugged. "Something like that."

They drove for what felt like hours, even though it couldn't have been more than fifteen to twenty minutes. "It should be here somewhere," Jane said, looking intently at her phone. "Stop! Here!"

There was a small shed on the left. Jane opened the door and grabbed her gun. She didn't bother telling Maura to stay in the car. She knew Maura would follow her anyway.

"Be careful, Jane," Frost said while getting out of the car. "He has a gun."

"More than one, I bet." Jane gritted her teeth and slowly walked towards the shed, her gun ready to protect her family.

Maura just followed behind. She didn't want to stay behind, but she didn't want to lead either. So she just walked as quietly as possible towards the shed that hopefully held their daughter. Jane motioned them to be quiet before trying the door. It opened immediately.

Maura saw her wife's shoulders dropping before she could see what was inside. The shed was empty. Jane lowered her gun and rubbed her forehead. "Nothing."

Suddenly Frost took off, pointing his gun to the left. "Jane!"

A loud scream pierced through the air and right through Maura's heart. Anna. She snapped her attention towards the sound and saw a large man dragging her little girl through the trees. Anna was struggling but Maura saw her legs failing. "Anna…" she whimpered quietly and ran after the two detectives.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Jane yelled after him.

He was fast, but Anna's struggling slowed him down. When they passed a pile of rocks, he dragged Anna behind it, slammed her down and came out pointing a gun at them with one hand, while his other hand held a different gun which he pointed at Anna. Maura gasped.

"LET HER GO!" Jane's voice sounded loud and dangerous and her finger was on the trigger of her gun.

The man shook his head. "You got orders. I'll let her go if you follow those orders."

Jane shook her head and Maura saw her wife thinking. She had to keep him talking. Keep him busy while she figured out a plan. There were two guns pointed at him but he an equal amount of guns, and worst of all: he had Anna.

Suddenly Maura heard a twig breaking. She looked to the side and saw Anna trying to get away from behind the rocks. She suppressed a gasp and turned her attention towards the man, Jane and Frost. They were busy, his attention was focused on Jane. She slowly walked to her left, making sure to be as quiet as possible. She kept her focus on the man with the gun but she felt Anna coming closer. She looked at her left. Only a few more inches until she could grab her daughter. A few more inches before she could reach out her arms and hold her again.

She looked at Anna and saw that her lip was bleeding. Her left eye was bruised and Maura saw a slight limp, caused by pain in her right leg. She felt tears in her eyes and reached out her arm, causing Anna to smile slightly. The girl was shaking in fear. Her breath hitched in her throat when she reached Maura and that was it. The sound of Anna's breathing caught the man's attention and he focused on them, flexing the hand around the gun pointed at Anna.

Immediately Maura pulled Anna into her arms, shielding her from the line of fire. She felt the girl whimpering in her arms, her cold hands clutching to her mother's coat.

"Oh I see." The man walked closer, his finger dangerously close to the trigger. "This is actually convenient." He looked at Jane, keeping his gun pointed at Maura. "Dr. Isles, isn't it? Your wife?" 

Jane gritted her teeth.

"From what I've heard," he continued, "she's an even weaker spot than those kids of yours. Now, if I killed her… The famous Detective Rizzoli would be devastated."

"Get your gun away from there," Jane growled, carefully walking closer.

Maura felt Anna crying into the crook of her neck but she didn't let her go. She pulled her as tightly as possible, her cheek against the side of Anna's head. "It's okay, baby," she whispered without taking her eyes of the gun pointed at her head. "We'll be okay."

"M-mommy…" Anna whimpered, barely audible. "He's gonna shoot, Mom…"

"He won't." Maura looked into the barrel of the gun. The man was still looking at Jane.

"If your wife is dead," he said, dangerously quietly, "you have nothing left to live for. Let alone if your wife _and_ daughter are dead!"

"Jerome, you're digging your own grave," Frost said, coming from the other side. "You have no chance."

"Shut your mouth." He turned his attention back to Maura and Anna. "Any last words?"

"We all know you're bluffing!"

"Am I?" He tilted his head and Maura saw his finger flexing on the trigger.

She closed her eyes and pulled Anna to her shoulder, away from where the gun was pointing. "Don't hurt her," she whimpered. "Take me, don't hurt her…" She faintly heard Anna crying against her when she squeezed her close and waited for Jane to do something. Anything.

She opened her eyes and saw his finger moving. It was moving too fast. A loud bang sounded through the air, Jane yelled and Anna screamed out and then everything went black.

"NO!" Jane screamed and pulled her own trigger. "MAURA!" She ran towards her wife and dropped to her knees. "No, no, no…" There was blood. Dark, red blood. "Maura, no…"

She didn't even pay attention to the man she just shot in the knee. Maura was bleeding. Her skin was pale and her eyes were closed. "Maura…" She felt her heart shattering in a million pieces. The man was right. If Maura was gone, she would be gone too. Maura was her life. Her everything. And the last full conversation she had with her was a fight. What if she would never be able to make up again? "Maura!"

She saw the blood coming from Maura's upper leg and shook her head to try and think rationally. He shot her leg. That was a good sign. She ripped off her scarf and pushed it on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. "Come on, Maura. Stay with me." She looked at her wife's face and saw her eyes fluttering. "Yes! Maura! Stay with me, Maura! Help is coming!"

Maura weakly opened her eyes, hazel eyes meeting with brown ones. "Jane…"

"I'm here, Maur," Jane felt tears streaming down her face but she barely noticed it. She kept the pressure on Maura's leg and looked into her eyes, knowing they could close any moment again. "I love you, so much. I love you and I'm sorry I was an ass. I love you more than anything, Maura."

Maura managed a small smile before her eyes slipped shut again. Jane sighed and closed her eyes for a short second before a whimper pulled her out of her thoughts. "Anna!" She shot her attention towards her daughter and pulled one of her hands away to reach out and pull her daughter towards her. "Baby, are you okay?" 

Anna nodded against her mother but didn't look away from Maura on the ground. "M-mom…"

"She's gonna be okay," Jane replied softly, kissing the side of Anna's head. "The ambulance will be here soon. Right, Frost?"

Frost nodded, looking at the injured man on the ground. "Any minute now."

And indeed, after a few short moments, loud sirens announced the arrival of the ambulance. After that, everything happened in a haze. Jane let the EMT's take over Maura's leg and she took Anna in her arms, lifting her off the ground to hug her to her front and finally hold her like she wanted to all that time she was missing. "Are you okay, baby?" she whispered hoarsely through her tears.

Anna nodded weakly.

"Did he hurt you?" Jane pulled back and finally studied Anna's face, seeing her bleeding lip and bruised eye.

Anna shrugged. "N-not really."

"Detective, are you coming with us to the hospital? We should check her out too." The EMT nodded his head at Anna.

"Yeah. I'm coming." She got into the police car that followed, not letting go of Anna for a second too long. They sat in the backseat and Jane wrapped her arms around her daughter, gently stroking her long, tangled hair.

"What did he do, Anna?" she whispered.

Anna pulled herself into Jane's side and rested her head on her mother's chest. "He just hit me." She sighed and closed her eyes. "He kept me tied up in a corner of that stupid shed and he kept calling his friend or something. He talked about you."

"Yeah, we saw that friend."

"He only hurt me when I made noise." Anna sniffled as fresh tears started trickling down her cheeks. "I-… I wasn't allowed t-to go to the bathroom…"

Jane sighed and looked at her daughter, only now noticing the slight smell coming from the girl and her stained jeans. "Oh, baby…"

"I tried to hold it but I was so scared!" Anna cried against her mother and put her hands around Jane's arm to pull herself closer.

"It's okay, baby," Jane whispered. She looked at the police officer that was driving and saw the woman looking in the rearview mirror with sympathy in her eyes. Jane knew her. Her name was Ashley and she just started working as a patrol officer. She was a good cop.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Detective," Ashley said softly after noticing Jane looking at her.

"I know." Jane smiled and kissed the top of Anna's head. "Did he hurt you in any other ways?" Jane asked, gently pulling back to look at her daughter.

Anna shook her head. "No. He just hit me and kicked me a few times when I cried."

Jane nodded, her brow furrowing in pain as tears made their way down her cheeks. The idea of her little girl being kidnapped, being kicked and hurt broke her heart. She couldn't even handle the mental picture. "I'm sorry we didn't find you sooner, baby."

Jane stared out of the window without hearing Anna's reply. It was her job that got Anna in danger. It was all because of her. If she wasn't a homicide detective, this would never have happened. For the first time in her life, she regretted her job. For the first time since she got promoted to homicide, she wished she had a different job. She wished she had an easy job, a safe job. A job that would keep her family from getting hurt. Yes, she was a detective and her job had always made her happy. But maybe it was time to make some changes. Maybe it was time to stop. She looked at her crying daughter and held back a sob herself while she pulled Anna close. The suspects in her cases knew her weak spot. They knew how to get to her, how to manipulate her. They knew to target her wife and children. She didn't know what her life would be if she wasn't a homicide detective but her life would be over without her family.

At the hospital, a kind doctor checked Anna out, stitched her lip and concluded she was fine. Physically at least. The same went for Maura. She had lost a lot of blood but they were allowed to see her immediately after Anna was finished.

Maura was slightly sitting up in a hospital bed, her cheeks paler than ever, her eyes closed as she leaned back against the pillows. Jane was holding Anna's hand as they quietly walked into the room, not knowing if she was sleeping or not.

"Jane?" Maura opened her eyes and smiled when she saw her wife and daughter. "Oh, my loves."

"Mom…" Anna's bottom lip quivered and she let out a sob when Maura opened her arms for the young girl.

"Come here, pretty girl," she whispered.

"Careful," Jane helped Anna up on the bed and watched as she carefully hugged her mother, both of them crying tears of relief.

"I'm okay, sweetheart," Maura kissed Anna's head and looked over the girl's shoulder at Jane. "I'm okay, my love."

Jane nodded, stepping closer to lean forward and press her lips against Maura's forehead.

"It's just a flesh wound. I'll be allowed to go home later tonight."

"Okay."

"Where are your sisters?" Maura asked Anna, lowering her head to look at the girl on her chest.

"On their way, I think."

"They are?" Maura looked at Jane for confirmation.

"Yeah, they'll be here soon." Jane's voice was hoarse and weak and she could only look into Maura's eyes that were sparkling again. And this time, they wouldn't slip shut. They would stay open.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Lying in her own bed, Maura could only stare at her sleeping daughter next to her. Anna had two stitches in her lip and her eye was slowly turning black, but other than that she was okay. Physically at least. Mentally, she was afraid. Scared of any unfamiliar sounds, scared to be alone and scared to be away from her parents. Maura sighed deeply and closed her eyes, feeling the pain in her leg increasing. She was still quite dizzy from the blood loss and the painkillers were wearing off.

Morgan peaked her head through the open door. "Mom? Are you awake?" she whispered quietly.

Maura opened her eyes. "Yes."

Morgan smiled. She came in holding a tray with two bowls of something warm and a cup of what looked like chamomile tea. "Grandma made you something to eat."

"Oh, thank you baby." Maura smiled and carefully lifted herself up against the headboard. "Anna is sleeping, though." She took the tray from her daughter and placed it on her knees, avoiding her injured leg. "I don't want to wake her."

"That's okay," Morgan took the bowl from the tray. "We can heat it up." She turned around but Maura stopped her.

"Morgan."

"What? You need anything else? We have bagels too, downstairs."

Maura shook her head. "No thank you." She smiled and reached out to gently caress Morgan's cheek, but the movement caused a sharp pain to shoot through her leg. Maura hissed and closed her eyes.

"Mom…"

"I just wanted a kiss, that's all." Maura smiled tiredly and motioned Morgan to get closer. The girl sat down on the bed and allowed Maura to kiss her temple. "How are you?"

Morgan shrugged and averted her gaze to look at her sleeping sister. "Better now that she's back."

Maura sighed and pulled her daughter against her side. She hadn't spoken to her since Roger came to talk to them in the forest and she knew the girl had been terrified. "We're both okay, honey."

"He shot you, Mom," Morgan looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes. "He shot you and he hurt Anna."

"He did, but we got him and he will be in jail for a long, long time."

"For the rest of his life?"

"Most likely, yes." Maura nodded and brushed a strand of dark hair from Morgan's face, looking into her bright blue eyes that were shimmering with tears. Maura smiled. The girl was getting freckles on her nose and cheeks, her skin pale in the cold winter months. She looked at her mother with that curiosity in her eyes and Maura leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead. "I'm so happy you're my daughter," she whispered.

Morgan chuckled. "I'm happy you're my mom."

Maura shook her head and squeezed her daughter's shoulder. "Could you get Mama for me? I need those painkillers."

"Yeah." Morgan immediately got off the bed, taking Anna's bowl of soup with her before walking downstairs to get her other mother.

"Hey," Jane greeted Morgan when she walked into the kitchen. "Is she eating?"

"Yeah, but Anna is sleeping so this is hers." Morgan put the bowl on the kitchen counter. "Mom is asking for you, she needs painkillers."

Jane hummed and opened a drawer to get out a white box of pills. She looked at her watch. It had been too long, she forgot. She quickly filled a glass of water and hurried upstairs.

"Maur," she walked into the room, watching Maura sipping her tea, Anna sleeping peacefully next to her.

"Hi." Maura smiled and reached out for the pills. "Thank you."

Jane sighed and sat down next to her wife, facing her and looking at her pale face. She had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was frizzy and tied up into a ponytail. She still looked absolutely gorgeous. Her hazel eyes were still sparkling. "I'm sorry, Maura," she whispered. "I was an ass."

Maura shook her head. "You were just afraid." She lowered her tea, wrapping her hands around the warm cup while she looked down at Anna. "We were all just afraid we lost her."

Jane thought back to the moment they brought Anna home, how Morgan burst out crying and wrapped her skinny arms around her sister, how Rachel hugged them all for several minutes, how Lily kept her distance but buried herself in Jane's arm as soon as she got the chance. How Maura so lovingly took off Anna's ruined clothes and handed her to Jane to get her cleaned up in a warm shower. How Anna shivered and clung to her mother while they cleaned her up and dressed her in a pair of silk pajamas, so similar to Maura's. At least she was sleeping peacefully now, free of fear and pain.

Jane sighed. "If you wouldn't have made it-…"

"I did make it."

"Yeah but if-…"

"Jane."

"Our last full conversation would have been a fight, Maura!"

"Shh." Maura looked at Anna, but when she stayed asleep she turned back to her wife, sighing deeply. "It's okay."

"You had every right to be angry. I was awful."

"You were a little rude, yes. But so was I! I rely on making plans and thinking. That doesn't mean I was right."

"That's true."

"So… I'm sorry too." Maura smiled gently. "We were both just afraid."

"It's just that… As soon as one of you is in danger, I can't think rationally." Jane sighed and closed her eyes. "I've been thinking," she whispered.

"About what?" Maura put her tray to the side and took Jane's hand in hers, her other hand still holding her cup of tea.

"If it weren't for my job," Jane said, opening her eyes and looking at Anna, "this would never have happened."

"Jane."

"No, you know it's true. Remember-…" Jane shook her head and looked down at their hands on the bed, "remember when someone tried to take Anna to get to me? When Anna was like, five?"

"I do." Maura nodded, looking at Anna and thinking about that time someone snatched her away at school.

"Things like this keep happening. People know she's my weak spot. They know to get to you and the kids to get to me."

Maura sighed, knowing Jane was speaking the truth.

"With you and the kids," Jane continued softly, "I got weaker."

"You didn't-…"

"No I don't mean it like that. I mean my weak spot got bigger. All they have to do is get to one of you and I'm a mess."

"What are you saying, Jane?"

"I don't know who I am if I'm not a homicide detective, but-…" Jane hesitated for a moment, looking at Maura's thumb that was gently stroking over her knuckles. "Maybe it's time to figure out who I am otherwise."

"Are you saying you want to quit your job?"

Jane shook her head. "No. No, I don't know. Maybe."

"Jane." Maura let go of Jane's hand to gently brush her hair back. "You're the best detective I know, and I'm not just saying that because I'm married to you. Yes, your job puts us in danger sometimes but has something truly bad ever happened?"

"Look at her," Jane motioned at Anna. "I'd say this is bad, Maur."

"You save us every time." Maura smiled gently. "I married a homicide detective and our kids have a homicide detective as their mother, and we made our peace with that. It's who you are, what you love to do."

"Not if it puts you in danger."

Maura sighed. "You put them behind bars, didn't you?"

Jane shrugged. "We did, not just me."

"You helped."

"Yeah."

"So, if it weren't for you and the team, these killers would still be walking around."

"No one is irreplaceable, Maura." Jane looked into her wife's hazel eyes. "There are other good detectives."

Maura sighed deeply and leaned back against the pillows. "I know you love your job. But if you decide you stopped loving it or that it's time to move on, the choice is yours." She smiled and gently took Jane's hand to press her lips to her wife's knuckles. "I love you no matter what."

Jane smiled. "I was kinda hoping you'd tell me what to do."

Maura laughed and shook her head. "I'm not making it that easy for you."

"Bummer." Jane chuckled, leaning forward to capture the blonde's lips in a sweet kiss.

"Don't overthink," Maura whispered after they broke apart. "Just let life run its course, you'll find your way eventually."

"Yeah." Jane nodded and gently reached out to cup Maura's cheek, stroking her thumb over her wife's pale, freckled cheek. "I love you, Maur," she said quietly.

"I love you too." Maura smiled and leaned back into her original positon, slowly sipping her tea before her eyes closed.

"You should get some sleep," Jane squeezed Maura's arm.

"I will."

"Eat the soup though," Jane said while standing up and pointing at the bowl. "It's good."

Maura chuckled. "I will." She watched her wife leaving the room and carefully slumped down against the pillows, hissing when she moved her leg. Healing would take a long time and she was already sick of it. She closed her eyes to let the dizziness subside until she heard a soft whisper coming from next to her.

"Mom? You okay?"

Maura looked at her daughter and saw Anna's grey eyes looking up at her with concern. "I'm fine." She smiled and reached out to gently caress Anna's cheek. "I'm just a bit dizzy."

Anna nodded and moved herself up on her side. "From losing so much blood?"

"Yes. It will pass soon; I just need a few days of rest." She drank the last of her tea and put the cup away before brushing Anna's blond hair out of her face.

Anna sighed and moved closer towards her mother, wrapping her arm around her stomach as her head rested on Maura's chest and she snuggled into her side, thankful to be on the side of her non-injured leg.

Maura's arms wrapped around the young teenager and she placed a kiss on her head. "What are you thinking, baby?"

Anna shrugged. They stayed silent for a few moments while Maura patiently waited for her daughter to say something but Anna stayed quiet. The thoughts in her head were spinning around like crazy, Maura knew. But Maura also knew how afraid Anna was of scaring her parents or making anyone worry about her. So she stayed quiet. She feared in silence and kept her thoughts to herself. Not because she didn't trust them. Just because she didn't want to hurt anyone. She didn't want anyone else to be in pain; she'd rather be the only one in pain and protect everyone else.

"Anna," Maura placed her hand on her daughter's head and pulled her closer, "talk to me, sweetheart. Please."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing. Just… I want you to feel free to talk."

"What do you want to hear, Mom?" Anna asked, pulling away to look at her mother.

Maura furrowed her brow. "Nothing…"

"You want to hear that I'm scared? That I'm terrified of going outside? That I had to pee for like an hour before I finally felt brave enough to even leave this bed and leave you because I was so afraid something would happen to you?" Tears started trickling down the girl's pale cheeks, her voice loud but broken. "You want to hear that I'm afraid I'll be messed up?"

Maura shook her head and tried to fight her tears but failed.

"Because that's what I am, Mom," Anna whispered, averting her gaze to look down at her fumbling hands. "I'm messed up."

"No, my love." Maura cupped Anna's cheek and looked into her eyes. "You're not messed up, Anna."

"I almost wet the bed," Anna whispered in defeat, "because I was afraid to get out of bed."

"You've been through a traumatizing event, not more than twelve hours ago. I'd be worried if you were walking around like nothing happened. Your reaction is totally natural."

"I constantly see that blood on you, Mom," Anna sobbed quietly and hid her face into her hands. "It's like I can still hear the sound from that gun and-… And I thought you were d-dead!"

Maura felt hot tears streaming down her face and swallowed a lump in her throat before gently moving Anna's hands away from her face. "Look at me," she whispered quietly.

Anna shook her head.

"Look at me, sweetheart," Maura repeated even quieter. "Please."

Grey eyes looked up at hazel ones, both shimmering with tears.

"I'm here." Maura managed a smile through her tears. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Anna's bottom lip quivered as she looked into her mother's eyes. She nodded weakly.

"You know what?" Maura continued. "I'm just as scared as you are."

Anna furrowed her brow.

"My children are getting into much too dangerous situations lately and that scares me more than anything." Maura shook her head and bit her lip to try and hold her tears. "It scares me so much-…" her breath hitched in her throat and she sighed before continuing, "it scares me so, so much… Just the idea of losing you, or you getting hurt… It's too much."

Anna cried with her mother. She hated to see her family in pain.

"But then I look at you, and I see that you're alive and breathing and talking and crying… And it makes my fear fade, just a little bit." Maura smiled and gently wiped her daughter's wet cheeks with the back of her hand. "Because you're here."

"I felt better too," Anna whispered quietly, "when I saw that you were still here, and when I realized I was okay and everyone else is okay too." She shook her head and looked down at her lap. "I just can't get that image of that stupid blood out of my head… And-… And the feeling of his hands hurting me and-…" Her breath hitched in her throat and covered her face with her hands again. "Wetting myself was the worst… the worst, the worst, the worst-…" she shook her head and let out a heartbreaking sob.

Maura tried to whisper something but the lump in her throat was too big. She just wrapped both her arms around her daughter and pulled her as close as she possibly could, feeling Anna shifting to bury herself against her mother.

"I've n-never been so humiliated…" Anna sobbed again, her pale hands clutching to Maura's pajamas. "Ever."

Maura just nodded weakly as she allowed her tears to stream down her face. She looked up when she heard the door opening and saw Jane slowly entering. "I heard something," she whispered, looking at Anna with concern in her dark eyes. "Is she okay?"

Maura shook her head, resting her chin on top of Anna's head on her chest as she looked at her wife. "No," she replied through her tears, "she's not."

Jane swallowed and took place next to her daughter on the bed, gently smoothing her hair and kissing the back of her head. "You're so brave, Anna," she said in her low, soft, husky voice. "I'm so proud you're my daughter. You're so strong and so brave." She looked deeply into Maura's eyes, comforting her with just a look. The sound of Jane's low, soft voice seemed to be mending Maura's broken heart as she looked into those brown eyes she loved so much.

"You stayed there and you didn't give up. You didn't give up, no matter how hard it was. You fought through it and I'm so proud of you for that." Jane smiled through the tears in her eyes, not looking away from Maura. "It tells me that you're your mom's daughter. You keep fighting and you're strong enough to let yourself cry when you have to, and you allow us to love you because you love us back. You have such a beautiful soul, Anna. You have so much love in your heart and that makes you so beautiful." Jane swallowed her tears and closed her eyes while she kissed the back of Anna's head. "But more importantly," she whispered, "that's what makes you strong. The love you have will pull you through this, I know it will. You're still my peanut, don't ever forget that."

Anna's breathing slowed down against Maura's chest and Maura felt her shaking less and less. The sound of Jane's voice calmed her down, even though she was pretty sure the words Jane was speaking didn't really enter her mind.

"You've been hurt, kicked down, humiliated and threatened but you kept going. You got away from those rocks and you fought and fought and fought, even though he was stronger." Jane smiled a sad smile at her wife, her strong hand gently rubbing up and down Anna's back. "And now you're allowed to break. So you break, you break hard. Because we're here to put you back together. No matter how broken you feel, okay?"

Anna nodded weakly, telling them she was indeed listening to what Jane was saying. Maura smiled through her tears and pulled her daughter closer. "I love you, sweetheart," she whispered, her voice high-pitched and hoarse from crying. "I love you so much."

Anna just nodded again, unable to reply. Her breathing had calmed down and she slowly untangled her arm from around Maura's stomach to wipe her cheek with the back of her hand. They stayed silent for a long time, Anna just resting on Maura's chest while she stared at the wall and her mothers shared a few quiet whispers of love and comfort.

"I'm okay," she whispered suddenly.

Jane smiled but furrowed her brow. "Hm?"

"I'm okay." Anna smiled sadly and lifted herself from Maura's chest, resting against her shoulder instead. "I mean-… I'm not really, but… I don't know."

"You will be okay." Maura smiled while fresh tears sprung to her eyes, pressing her lips against Anna's temple.

"It could be a while," Jane said, tucking a strand of hair behind Anna's ear before shifting to mirror her wife's position against the headboard. "But yeah, you'll be okay." She took Anna's smaller hand in hers and gently rubbed her knuckles.

Anna shifted and moved to rest against Jane's side, sniffling the last of her tears away. "Thank you," she whispered barely audible.

Jane smiled and pulled her daughter into her arms while she looked into Maura's eyes. "Anytime, peanut."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Maura sat on the couch with her leg up on a pillow on the coffee table. She had just changed her bandages and had concluded that her wound was healing well. The stitches would be allowed to be removed soon and then she would be able to put more pressure on it and be more active. She sighed and looked to her side to see her daughter sitting snuggled up against her side, a blanket thrown over her legs while she was entirely lost in a book. Her brow was knitted together and her grey eyes focused and sparkled. The stitches from her lip were removed, leaving just an angry red mark. Her bruised eye was slowly turning yellow but the internal, mental bruises were the worst.

"Maur, do you know if Rachel took my car?" Jane came walking into the kitchen, pulling her hair out of the jacket she just put on.

"Yes, she went out to get some groceries for me. She put the keys on the counter when she got back, I think." Maura turned her head and watched Jane taking the keys and walking towards them on the couch.

"You're leaving?" Anna pulled her attention away from the book and looked up at her mother.

"I'm gonna stop by BPD real quick to finish up some paperwork." Jane smiled and leaned down to gently capture Maura's lips in a sweet goodbye kiss. "I love you."

Maura smiled. "I love you too."

Jane moved to give Anna a kiss but she stopped in her tracks when she saw the fear in her daughter's eyes. "Baby, you okay?"

Anna's bottom lip quivered. "Why do you have to go, Ma?" she asked softly. "It's still Christmas break."

Jane kneeled in front of the young teenager. "It's just some paperwork, peanut. I'm just going by the office, nothing dangerous. I promise."

Anna nodded and closed her book to wrap her arms around Jane's neck. She tried so hard to be strong. Maura saw it by the way she bit her lip to try and hold back her tears, by the way her arms squeezed around Jane's neck and her head nuzzled into the crook of her mother's neck. "Just paper work?" Anna asked weakly.

"Just paper work." Jane smiled but there was sadness in her eyes when she looked over Anna's shoulder at her wife. "I'll just be sitting behind my desk and reading boring reports on my computer and then I'm gonna print them, sign a few signatures and hand them to a different department. I'll be home before you know it."

"Okay." Anna smiled slightly when she pulled back and let her mother go.

Maura felt her eyes burning at her daughter's fear and motioned Jane closer for another kiss. "Bye, love," she smiled. She watched her wife leaving the house before turning her attention towards Anna next to her, who was fumbling with the hem of her sweater. "It's okay, honey," Maura said softly.

Anna shook her head. "Why am I so scared, Mom?"

"Because you've been through something bad and you're afraid something will happen to Mama." Maura shrugged and wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Your reaction is totally natural."

"She's just going to do stupid paper work. I shouldn't be scared about that."

"There is nothing you should or should not feel, baby," Maura said while brushing her daughter's blond hair over her shoulder. "If you feel scared, you feel scared. That's okay, no matter for what reason."

"But-…"

"Stop being so hard on yourself, Anna." Maura cupped Anna's cheek and looked into her grey eyes. "Just let yourself be scared for a moment." She brushed her hand up to Anna's forehead and through her long hair. "Let it happen," she whispered. "It's okay, nobody is judging you."

"Just me." Anna smirked and let out a small chuckle. "I know, I'm being stupid."

"You're not." Maura smiled and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "You just need to stop being so hard on yourself, that's all. You'll be okay."

"I know." Anna smiled as she leaned back against Maura's side.

Maura pulled her close but looked up when she heard the back door opening. "M-Mom…"

"Lily?" She turned her head to see her youngest daughter crying. "What happened?"

"I fell." The girl tried to be brave but her bottom lip was quivering when she walked towards Maura and showed her hands, which were both scratched from catching herself.

"Oh, baby." Maura took her daughter's hands. "It's not bad. Did you hurt anywhere else?"

"My knee."

"Let me see." Maura gently unzipped the girl's coat, taking it off and putting it away. Lily moved her jeans and hissed in pain when she showed a red scrape. "Hm." Maura hummed and pursed her lips. "We'll clean this up, it's not too bad." 

Lily nodded, thick tears forming in her eyes. Maura instructed the girl to get some iodine and a clean towel, along with a few bandages so she could clean her up as soon as she got back. Maura moved towards Anna so Lily had room to sit on her other side. She took off her jeans and hissed when Maura cleaned the scrape.

"I know, honey. Just for a little bit more." She gently took her daughter's hands, cleaning them as well. "Almost done."

Lily nodded and bit her lip to try and keep herself from crying. She watched Maura placing a bandage on her knee and carefully pressing her lips above it for a kiss. "There," she whispered. "All better." She smiled and moved up to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Keep that cold towel on your hands," she said softly.

Lily did so, tucking her good leg up on the couch before leaning into her mother's side. Maura wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Now we both have an injured leg," Maura said with a chuckle, trying to make her little girl feel better.

"Yeah." Lily smiled. "I just did it on purpose so you wouldn't feel so alone."

"Oh, I see." Maura laughed and shook her head, rubbing her hand up and down Lily's bare leg so she wouldn't get too cold. "What happened really?"

Lily shrugged. "I was just running."

"Running where?"

She shrugged again. "As hard as I could. Just-… For no reason."

Maura sighed and pressed her lips against the girl's temple. "You are so much like your Mama, it scares me sometimes."

Lily smiled slightly. "Because Mama goes running too sometimes?"

"Yes, and because she runs when she doesn't know how to handle her feelings." Maura brushed her hand through Lily's curls and pulled her close. "It's her way of clearing her head, dealing with difficult situations."

"Yeah… I guess." Lily sighed and shifted to snuggle against her mother, resting her head on Maura's chest. "Although my head is not cleared, so it didn't help."

"It didn't?"

Lily shook her head. "There's still all kinds of stupid in my head."

"All kinds of stupid?" Maura smiled but her brow furrowed as she listened to her youngest daughter. She looked to her side and saw that Anna was reading her book again, totally focused on the story as she sat closely next to her mother. She looked back at Lily and saw her dark eyes filled with concern and still a hint of tears.

"Yeah, I don't know." Lily shrugged.

Maura sighed, wrapping her arms around her daughter and pulling her close while she kissed the top of her head. "It takes time to figure out all the stupid," she said softly. "Can I help you with it?"

Lily smiled. "Sure." She tucked her other leg up on the couch, signaling that her injury really wasn't too bad. She nuzzled herself against her mother, eliciting a sweet smile from the blonde. "I don't feel like figuring out right now, though," she said softly.

"That's okay, we can save it until later." Maura brushed the girl's dark curls back. "That way I have something to look forward too."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

Maura laughed and pulled her daughter against her, loving to have her in her arms for this peaceful moment. Lily wasn't typically affectionate and she didn't like sitting still, but the fact that she was so quietly sitting against her mother told Maura she was tired and in need of her mother's love after everything that happened.

"How's your leg, Mom?" Lily asked softly, looking at Maura's leg, a pair of grey sweatpants covering the bandage. "Does it still hurt?"

"Well, I just replaced the bandage so it's feeling a bit sore now," Maura moved her leg carefully. "But other than that, I'm totally fine."

"Okay." Lily nodded and smiled in relief while she slumped down against the pillows of the couch, finding a comfortable position. "We're all gonna be fine, right?"

Maura smiled. "Yes, baby. We're all going to be fine."

 _A/N I'm sorry for the short chapter, I hope you like it! Thank you all so much for your reviews, I appreciate every single one of them! Let me know what you think, and as always: I'm open to suggestions! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!_


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Walking past Rachel's bedroom, Jane heard the sound of soft sniffles coming from behind the bed. She furrowed her brow and looked into the room, seeing the white walls that were once covered with band posters and pieces of colorful art, the walls that were now empty after Rachel went to college. The bed was neatly made and Rachel's suitcase was lying on the floor, piles of clothes dropped around it, ready to be folded and packed.

When Rachel turned around, Jane saw tears on her cheeks, her blue eyes red around the edges from crying. As soon as she saw her dark-haired mother, she quickly wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I-… I'm just packing, I'll be ready soon."

Jane hummed and pursed her lips without addressing her daughter's tears. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the open suitcase. "Well, you got off to a great start."

Rachel pretended to laugh but Jane saw fresh tears forming in her eyes. Jane waited for Rachel to start talking. She would, eventually. So she just sat there on the bed, watching Rachel going through her underwear drawer and grabbing random pairs of panties before putting them neatly into a corner of the suitcase. She kneeled to move a sweater out of the way and stayed down when Jane expected her to get up.

She sighed and got up to walk back to her closet. "Did you know that small restaurant on the corner is looking for people?"

"No, I didn't know that."

"Yeah, they're looking to hire a waitress."

"Hm." Jane tilted her head. "And you are telling me this because…"

"No reason." Rachel shrugged. "I thought-… I thought maybe being a waitress is not so bad."

Jane raised her eyebrows. "Maybe not."

"Right?" Rachel's eyes lit up and she looked at her mother with a smile. "I mean," she sat down next to the Detective, "waiting on people, earning my own money… That's not a bad idea! Right?"

"Oh, it's a terrible idea." Jane's smile turned to a frown.

"You just said-…"

"Being a waitress is not so bad, I have nothing but respect for waiters. But you're going back to school."

Rachel's expression dropped. "But-… Independence, and… And…"

"And you're afraid to leave home."

"Afraid?" Rachel furrowed her brow and anger flashed in her eyes.

"I'm not blaming you! I mean, after all that happened-…"

"I'm eighteen, Ma." Rachel got up from the bed and turned her back on her mother. "I'm not afraid. I just thought it would be nice to be close to home and have my own income and stuff, that's all. But I guess you think it's a stupid idea, so I'll shut up about it."

"No, I think you're not looking forward to going back to college because of what happened with Anna and Mom, and before that with Morgan and Mom."

Rachel shook her head. "I'm not a child."

"I know."

"Can you leave, please?" Rachel lowered her head and her voice was strangled with tears.

"Rachel-…"

"Please?"

Jane sighed and slowly got up from the bed. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She turned around and left the room feeling guilty and confused. She knew Rachel was afraid. She knew she was dreading going back for days now. But she also knew how much it meant to Rachel to be an adult and to be treated like one so she walked away from her daughter's room and into the kitchen, watching Maura resting on the couch with her leg up, Anna in the chair reading a book and Morgan and Lily playing a videogame together. School would be starting in two days so the family enjoyed the little free time they had left together.

"Jane?" Maura turned her head and looked at her wife.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind getting my sweater from upstairs?" she asked with a smile. "I'm cold."

"Which one?"

"Doesn't matter."

Jane nodded. "On it."

"Although! Not that new green one, please?"

Jane smirked at the adorable way Maura looked at her, her eyes questioning and her lips curled up into a shy smile. "Not the green one, got it."

"And preferably a warm one, but not one of yours with a zipper, those-…"

"You wanna get it yourself?" Jane chuckled and walked towards her wife to gently kiss her lips.

"Oh, yes." Maura broke the kiss and started lifting herself off the couch. "I'll go."

"I'm kidding!" Jane gently pushed her back down. "Stay. I'm on it." She kissed her beautiful wife before walking upstairs to look for the right sweater.

While she looked through her wife's large collection of clothes and tried to make a decision, she heard the door to the bedroom opening and a soft voice calling her. "Ma?"

She turned and saw Rachel standing in the room, fumbling with her sweater and looking down at her feet. "You're right."

"What?" Jane furrowed her brow, still holding the pink sweater she picked out for Maura.

"You're right." Rachel shrugged as tears spilled on her cheeks. "About everything."

Jane sighed. "I didn't mean to be so blunt about it," she whispered while she stepped forwards and gently wiped Rachel's cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Rachel shook her head and allowed her mother to wrap her arms around her, pulling her close.

"It's alright to be scared, Rach," Jane said softly. "We're all scared."

Rachel buried herself in Jane's arms, happy with the affection and comfort it gave her. "I know it's stupid, I mean-… You're a good detective, it's not like you're gonna be walking around getting yourself shot all the time…"

"No, but there's always a chance I'll get hurt and it's totally okay to be afraid because of that."

Rachel nodded slowly, admitting her fear to her mother.

Jane smiled and rubbed her hands up and down her daughter's back. "I'm gonna be so careful, baby," she whispered. "I promise."

"Good." Rachel pulled back and wiped her cheeks. "I just hate saying goodbye, that's all." She shrugged and let out a small chuckle. "I thought I'd be used to it by now."

Jane shook her head and wrapped her arm around Rachel's shoulders, grabbing Maura's sweater before getting out of the bedroom. "I don't think we'll ever get used to it. It'll always suck."

Rachel sighed, chuckling slightly. "Probably, yeah."

"But at least you get to see Rick again, right?"

"Yeah." Rachel smiled to herself. "That's the good part."

Jane chuckled, stopped her at the top of the stairs and kissed Rachel's temple. "Hey."

Rachel looked at her mother. "Hm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Are we okay?"

Rachel smiled and nodded her head. "Yeah. We're good."

That afternoon, the moment of saying goodbye came too soon. Rachel's suitcase was standing by the door and she had been gathering some food and drinks, along with a warm sweater for the long drive back. Morgan had been restless all day. She hated saying goodbye to Rachel just as much as everyone else, if not more. She was currently standing in the living room with her arms wrapped around her sister's waist and her head resting sideways on her chest, dreading the moment of letting go.

"I'll see you soon, Morgan," Rachel said softly. "I promise. It won't be so long."

Morgan nodded, trying her hardest to keep her tears at bay.

"I have a crazy lot of classes but I'm still gonna call at least once a week and maybe I'll even drive home on a random day, y'know?"

"We talked about those drives of yours, Rachel," Maura said from the couch. "I don't think they are safe."

"I know," Rachel smiled over Morgan's head. "I'll stay safe, promise."

"Good, I don't need another one of my loves to worry about."

"Yeah, like you won't worry about me anyway." Rachel smirked and gently untangled herself from Morgan to say goodbye to her mother.

Maura eagerly opened her arms for the teenager, pulling her next to her on the couch and wrapping her arms around the dark-haired girl. "I always worry about you." Maura kissed the side of Rachel's head. "But I know you can take care of yourself." She pulled back and smiled at the girl. "Try your best in school, be yourself," she tucked a strand of hair behind Rachel's ear, repeating the words she always said when she had to say goodbye to Rachel. "Don't let others influence you, just be you."

Rachel nodded, smiling a small smile to indicate she appreciated Maura's words. "You be careful, alright?" She pointed at Maura's leg. "Take it easy and stuff."

"I will."

Rachel moved in for another tight hug and whispered, "give Morgan an extra kiss when I'm gone, okay?"

Maura nodded, pulling back to cup Rachel's face and press a kiss on her cheek. "I will." She sighed and kissed her daughter's forehead. "I love you, honey," she whispered. "Don't forget that."

"I won't." Rachel smiled sadly and swallowed a lump in her throat, trying not to cry. "I love you too." She gave her mother one more kiss and stood up to hug Anna and Lily and then wrapped her arms around Jane who stood by the door. "Bye, Ma," she whispered quietly. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." Jane pulled the girl as close as humanly possible. "Be safe."

Rachel just nodded without replying, knowing that she would cry if she talked. She untangled herself and wrapped her arms back around Morgan, hugging her sister close before it really was time to leave if she didn't want to arrive in the middle of the night. She said her final goodbyes and left the house, leaving the family quiet.

After a short moment of silence, Morgan walked towards the couch and sat down next to Maura, curling up and leaning into her side. She rested her head on her mother's chest without saying anything, simply needing the comfort of her mother's arms that wrapped around her as soon as she sat down.

"It never gets easier, does it?" Maura said softly.

Morgan just shook her head and snuggled against her mother.

Jane smiled sadly and took a deep breath to compose herself before walking into the kitchen. "So," she said to the family, "dinner tonight. Any plans?"

"I think we have enough ingredients to make lasagna," Maura said, turning her head that rested on top of Morgan's dark hair.

"Yeah, lasagna!" Lily jumped in her seat. "I vote yes!"

Jane chuckled. "Alright then. You wanna help me out? I think you've had enough videogames for today."

Lily sighed and was about to protest but Maura tilted her head. "Mama is right, honey. Time to turn it off."

Deciding to give up her attempts to protest, the girl turned the game off and headed towards the kitchen to help Jane with dinner. "Here, can you cut these up for me?" Jane handed her daughter a few sweet peppers. "Don't use the big knife, please."

"But the big one is so much cooler!" Lily smirked as she opened a drawer and got out the small knife.

"And so much more dangerous. Remember what happened last time?"

"No, I don't remember at all." Lily chuckled as she started cutting the vegetables.

"Yeah, right." Jane shook her head, opening the fridge to look for the other ingredients. "You cut your finger, young lady."

"I got a pretty cool bandage, though."

"That's true."

"That was when we went to the beach the next day. The seawater hurt my finger so bad." Lily got out a new pepper and started cutting it, carefully this time. "And there was a murder on the other side of the beach so you and Mom had to go there. Remember?"

"Yeah." Jane chuckled at the memory. It had started off as a nice day, but the murder was right around the corner and both women were on call. "That was a tough case, even the FBI got involved."

"Oh yeah!" Lily laughed when she remembered that time. "You always get so mad at those FBI people!"

"Well, most of them are jerks."

"Not all of them?"

Jane shrugged. "Nah. Some are good people." She started heating up some oil in a pan and looked at her daughter next to her at the kitchen island. "I even dated one, a long time ago."

Lily's mouth fell open. "What?"

Jane chuckled. "His name was agent Dean."

"You had a boyfriend?"

"No… Not really. I mean-…" Jane sighed and regretted bringing up the subject to her ever curious daughter. "It wasn't really a relationship."

"But he's a man! You don't even like men!"

"That's true, but I thought I did for a long time."

Lily furrowed her brow and lowered the knife. "How did you know you didn't like them?"

"I met your Mom." Jane shrugged. "That's when I knew."

"So you dated him before Mom?"

"Yeah, I never dated anyone else after Mom."

Lily chuckled. "So you dated an FBI agent."

"Yeah-..."

"And his name was Dean."

"Gabriel. Yeah."

"Gabriel?" Lily laughed and dropped the knife on the counter. "Wow! Gabriel?"

"Careful!" Jane chuckled. "Not his fault."

"Did you like him?"

Jane sighed and took the cut-up peppers from her daughter to throw them into the pan. "Yeah. He was a good man."

"Were you in love with him?" Lily leaned against the kitchen counter, looking up at her mother with her dark, curious eyes.

"No. But he was nice, he was good to me."

Lily let out a huff of air and grabbed the zucchini from the counter to start cutting it. "I think Mommy's better for you."

"Oh, she's way better." Jane laughed. "Mom gets me. He didn't."

"What does that mean?" Lily furrowed her brow, her eyes fixated on the vegetables in front of her.

"I mean that your Mom understands me. I don't need to explain to her how I'm feeling because she just knows."

"Oh, yeah." Lily nodded in agreement. "Mom always knows."

"She's special like that." Jane smirked, glancing over her shoulder to look at Maura, seeing her quietly talking to Morgan who was still resting against her side.

"How come she always knows?"

Jane shrugged. "She pays attention to people. She knows me inside out, she knows every single thing about me." She turned her attention back to the food. "You're a lot like me. So that means Mom gets you too. Just like she gets me."

Lily nodded, taking some time to let those words sink in for a moment. "Mom always knows when I'm sad."

"Exactly." Jane stirred the meat in the pan.

"I went running the other day," Lily said softly, her movements slowing down. "Just like you always do, 'cause there was stupid in my head."

"Yeah… Mom told me." Jane smiled and looked at her youngest daughter, watching those familiar sharp features, brown eyes and unruly dark curls. "Did it help?"

Lily shrugged. "Kinda. But I fell and hurt my knee."

"So it didn't get the stupid out of your head?"

"Not all of it."

Jane sighed deeply and took the cut zucchini from her daughter. "It never gets out altogether," she said softly. "Even after a run. It just helps me clear things out a little, so I can figure it out afterwards."

Lily furrowed her brow. "I don't think it worked for me."

"You're only nine, baby. You don't need to have it all figured out."

"I want to be older," Lily said quietly, staring at her hands that were fumbling with a piece of pepper. "Maybe it will be easier then."

Jane set the stove low and turned to look at the girl, gently reaching out to tuck a curl behind her ear. "What will be easier?" she whispered.

Lily shrugged. "Big girls aren't scared and they don't cry."

"You think so?"

Lily nodded slowly.

Jane cupped Lily's face and made her look at Maura and Morgan on the couch. "See that?" she whispered, letting go to wrap her arms around the girl's chest from behind. "Morgan is fourteen, she's a big girl. She's crying." Jane looked at her wife and saw a few small tears trickling down her cheeks. "And so is Mom." Maura was never able to keep her tears at bay when her daughters cried. "I'd say Mom and Morgan are both pretty big girls, huh?"

Lily chuckled softly. "Yeah."

"And they're both crying, so there goes your theory on big girls." Jane smiled and turned to look at her youngest daughter. "Crying is not something for little girls, baby," she said softly. "It's not a sign of weakness."

Lily looked down at her feet.

"I know it feels like it, but it's not."

Lily smiled shyly. "I know."

"I know you feel stupid for being scared, and I know you want to be brave so bad…"

Lily nodded and turned to hide herself against Jane's side, the gentle tone in her voice and the comfort of her words bringing the girl on the edge of tears. "I want to be strong like you, Mama," she whispered.

"Baby," Jane wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her to her chest. "Mama's not always strong and brave, you know that."

Lily nodded.

"No one is brave all the time. We're all scared sometimes, even the bravest people in the world."

"Even people like Superman? And Iron Man and Batman?"

Jane smirked and chuckled when she looked at the little girl in her arms. "Yeah, even all those." She hooked her arms under Lily's and lifted her up in the air, feeling the young girl's arms and legs wrapping around her as she held her up. "You're a very brave girl, Lil," she said softly. "You took really good care of your family and you're always there to make us smile."

"That's because I make good jokes." Lily smirked as she pulled back, looking at her mother with a naughty, crooked smile.

Jane laughed and shook her head. Lily was tired of serious conversations. "Yeah, you got that from me as well."

"No way, I got that from Mom!" Lily giggled as Jane put her back down on the floor to turn her attention back to the food. "Oh no wait, that's not possible because I don't have her D and A stuff. Then the jokes must be from you."

"You got some from Mom too, baby," Jane replied with a smile. "You got a little from both of us, and that makes you a strong and brave superhero all on your own."


	30. Chapter 30

_A/N First: I wanted to say I'm so sad that Rizzoli & Isles is ending and that we have to miss our favorite duo on TV. I plan on continuing the fanfics though, for as long as I can. I just can't let them go! I hope the fandom will stay alive in a way, and that you will all stay with me. _

_Second: thank you so much for your replies! Life is very busy right now but I enjoy writing in the evening hours, to get my mind off things. I felt like writing a few flashbacks, to get into Jane and Maura's relationship and such, I hope you like it! I might add more flashbacks about the early life of the girls in later chapters, depending on the inspiration I get and what you like to read. So let me know!_

Chapter 30

The sound of a baseball game sounded quietly through the bedroom as Maura attempted to get caught up on her ME inbox, her laptop on her knees, blanket thrown over her legs, her hair tied up into a bun and her glasses on her nose. Jane sat next to her, her eyes intently fixated on the game on TV. The girls had finished their first day back in school after Christmas break and Jane had been back at work for a few days now, but Maura was still forced to work from home. Her leg was healing well and she could walk, but doing autopsies wouldn't be an option and only slow down the process. But much to her own surprise, she didn't mind. She was able to spend more time with the girls, she was there when they came home from school and she was there to have dinner with them every night and tuck them into bed. Not being called in to face the gut-wrenching sight of yet another murder wasn't too bad after all.

When the television cut to a commercial during halftime, Jane turned down the sound and slumped down against the pillows. Maura looked at her wife, seeing her dark eyes filled with frustration due to the game. "How are the Sox doing?"

Jane groaned. "Don't mention it."

Maura chuckled and shook her head, turning her attention back to the report on her laptop screen. "Okay, I won't."

Jane sighed deeply and took a sip of her beer. "How did Anna do in school today?"

Maura pursed her lips and paused her movements. "She pulled through, but it wasn't easy."

"No?"

"No." Maura shook her head. "She gave me the biggest hug when she got back and she didn't leave my side all afternoon."

"You think she's afraid of leaving us?"

Maura shrugged. "It's possible. It's too soon to draw conclusions, it's only been a week."

"Maybe she just needs to get used to life again."

"Maybe."

"And if it doesn't work out, maybe we'll take her to that therapy thing we talked about."

"I don't know… I'd rather keep that off while we can. She's incredibly resilient, let's just see how she'll get through."

Jane sighed and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Therapy is definitely a possibility, though." Maura looked over her laptop at the wall, thinking about her daughter that had been through so much lately. The kidnapping and shooting had a huge impact on the sensitive girl.

Proving Maura's point, the door opened and Anna walked into the room. She wore a big white T-shirt as pajamas, her long, ash blond hair curling around her shoulders, her grey eyes shimmering with tears.

"Hey, peanut," Jane smiled and greeted her softly. "You can't sleep?"

Anna just shook her head without saying anything. Maura closed her laptop, put it on her nightstand and motioned Anna to come closer. "Do you want to watch the game together with Mama?"

The girl's lips curled up into a slight smile and she shook head. Anna had never been into sports. She got up on the bed and crawled in between her mothers, Maura's arm wrapping around her shoulders and Jane's lips pressing against her temple. "What happened, peanut?" Jane whispered, noticing the unshed tears in her eyes. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Anna shook her head again. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Jane patted her daughter's leg. "You wanna talk about something else?"

"Yeah." Anna smiled gratefully and slumped down against the headboard, pulling her knees up. "But not about baseball."

Jane chuckled. "Aw, come on! I have a perfect analysis ready for this awful game!"

"And I want to hear that analysis because…?" Anna tilted her head, a slight sparkle showing in her eyes.

"Because you want to know how the Sox are doing this season? Spoiler; they're sucking so far."

"Jane! My goodness, will you please watch your language? This is the third time today!"

Jane shrugged and took a sip of her beer. "Sorry."

"I'm serious, Jane."

"I know." Jane looked at her wife and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. Really."

Maura sighed and shook her head but couldn't contain a smile. She was already forgiven.

"Mom?" Anna looked up at her mother. "Do you and Mama ever have really bad fights?"

"Hm." Maura pursed her lips and looked at her wife, seeing her lips curling up into a smirk as she looked at the television. "Not really, actually."

"How come?" Anna asked, trying to distract herself with a conversation.

Maura shrugged. "We forgive easily. We have our differences, but I know Mama's intentions and I know she would never, ever intentionally hurt me."

"You've never had a bad fight?"

"Well, some are worse than others," Jane replied. "But not really bad since we got your girls, you got us pretty occupied."

"We've had our fights in the beginning of our relationships."

"Really?" Anna turned her head against Maura's shoulder, looking at the blonde.

Maura nodded. "Oh yes."

"About what?"

"Well… About money, sometimes."

"Money?" Anna furrowed her brow.

"Your Mom has a lot of money," Jane replied, "and I didn't. It took me some time to get used to her way of living."

"We both had to get used to each other. Even though we loved each other wholeheartedly."

"How did you know you loved Mama?" Anna looked at her mother with curiosity in her grey eyes.

Maura smiled, thinking back to the first time she knew. The first time she realized she was falling for Jane.

 _Maura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, taking the time to compose herself before the elevator doors would open. She didn't know what was happening to her, but she had to take these moments before she walked into the precinct and faced the first and only female Homicide Detective in the Boston Police Department. She had to take a minute to prepare herself for the way her heart would race, her cheeks would blush and her hands would sweat as soon as the tall, dark-haired woman looked at her with those awfully gorgeous brown eyes. She had to brace herself for hearing her hoarse voice, mentally preparing herself to speak to her and avoid getting lost in mumbling. She, the ever impeccable and proper Dr. Isles was a mess. A lovesick, nervous mess. All because of that woman, Jane Rizzoli._

 _The elevator doors opened with, a beep announcing that she was on the right floor. She straightened her back and lifted her chin. 'Don't be stupid,' she thought to herself. She strengthened her grip on the file in her hand and walked out of the elevator._

 _Jane was sitting in her chair behind her desk, her brow furrowed when she read something on her screen. God, she forgot how beautiful the woman was. Her dark curls were hanging loose around her shoulders and the blue button-up she wore looked amazing on her. Maura shook her head and walked towards her desk. "Detective Rizzoli?"_

 _Jane looked up, her dark eyes once again startling Maura. "Hi."_

" _I have the results from the DNA test you requested," Maura opened the file, noticing a slight tremble in her fingers. "Uhm… It's-… It's definitely a white male."_

" _Damnit." Jane slammed her hand on the table and leaned back in her chair. "There goes our suspect."_

 _Maura bit her lip, not sure how to reply. She shifted on her feet and looked at the floor._

 _Jane furrowed her brow. "Hey, you okay?"_

 _Maura looked into the Detective's eyes, seeing a slight sparkle and a sweet smile. Her breath hitched in her throat. "Yes-… Yes, I'm fine."_

"I knew I was attracted to her from the moment I met your Ma," Maura said, looking first at Anna and then her wife next to them. "But you know, that wasn't the first time I realized I truly loved her. The time I knew I was head over heels, completely and utterly lost and in love with Jane Rizzoli," she smirked and winked at Jane, "was the first time I saw her at a crime scene, talking to a five-year-old boy."

Anna listened with her mouth hanging open, a sparkle showing in her eyes where the tears had disappeared. "What did she do?"

"Nothing special," Maura shrugged. "She was just so… So gentle. Incredibly kind, understanding and comforting to that little boy who had just lost his father. I saw how much love she has in her heart and I fell in love."

"And Mama?" Anna looked at Jane. "What about you? When did you know you were in love with Mom?"

"I knew for a long time," Jane said with a sigh, fumbling with her beer bottle. "But it took a long time for me to admit it."

"Why?"

Jane shrugged. "I was afraid to ruin our friendship."

"Did it ruin your friendship?" Anna wiggled herself into the pillows, resting against Maura's side as she looked at Jane from the blonde's shoulder.

"Nah." Jane smirked, took a sip of her beer and looked at Maura. "She's still my best friend."

 _Jane used her key to get into her friend's house, calling out her name before she entered. "Maura? I brought pizza!"_

 _A shuffle announced the arrival of the Medical Examiner. She tied a pink robe around her waist while she walked into the kitchen and ruffled her hair. "Hi, Jane. I forgot you were coming."_

 _Jane furrowed her brow. "You okay?"_

 _Maura nodded. Her cheeks were flushed red and she fumbled nervously. "Yes, I'm fine."_

 _When a sound came from upstairs, Jane stiffened and felt her heart dropping to her stomach. "Oh-… I-… I'll go."_

" _No, no! It's okay, it's just Thomas."_

" _Thomas?"_

 _Maura waved her hand and grabbed a wine glass from the cabinet. "He's-… He's a neurologist I met last week at the conference."_

" _Oh… Okay… I guess I'll go then-…"_

" _No," Maura stopped her. "Please, stay. It's okay."_

" _Hm." Jane pursed her lips as she took the beer Maura offered her before sitting down at the kitchen island. "You like him?"_

 _Maura shrugged. She poured herself a glass of red wine but didn't reply._

 _Jane swirled her beer around in the bottle, staring at her hands. She couldn't look at Maura. She couldn't look at the woman she was so in love with, seeing her messy bed-hair, freckled chest above her robe, the curve of her legs and the way her cheeks were pink with that after-sex blush. "How was he?" The question was out before she realized what she asked._

 _Maura, startled, shot her attention towards her friend. "He was-… Fine. He was alright. Well… Awful, actually."_

 _Jane chuckled, but it didn't contain happiness. She couldn't look at the blonde, afraid to get lost in those big sparkling hazel eyes and intoxicating smile._

" _Is something wrong, Jane?"_

 _Jane shrugged. "I just don't get why you're taking strangers down here with you and take them to bed like that."_

" _Well… Sex does boosts your immune system and I've been feeling weary lately."_

" _How about vitamin C? Tried that? Instead of taking home random guys that'll end up breaking your heart?"_

 _Maura sighed. "Jane."_

" _Pizza?" Jane ended the conversation and opened the pizza box she brought with her._

" _You seem angry," Maura said softly._

 _The sound of a toilet flushing came from upstairs and Jane gritted her teeth. She was angry. But she couldn't tell Maura why. She just couldn't. "Can we drop this? Here, eat. It's good for you."_

" _Pepperoni?" Maura shook her head, deciding to drop the conversation. She walked towards Jane and took a slice of pizza, the scent of worn-out perfume and shampoo overwhelming Jane for a moment. After a short minute of silence, Maura sighed and whispered, "I didn't sleep with him."_

 _Jane lifted her head. "You didn't?" The question might have sounded a bit too happy._

" _No."_

" _Why not?"_

 _Maura sighed and put her pizza down, slowly swallowing her last bite. "I couldn't go through with it."_

 _Jane furrowed her brow. "Why?"_

" _I-… T-The reason I brought him here…" Maura sighed. "Never mind. It's not important."_

" _C'mon, Maur." Jane tilted her head. "Talk to me." A part of her didn't want to hear the answer but something told her to keep asking questions. She saw a sparkle in Maura's eyes and the way she stood so close to her told her this might not be all bad._

 _Maura took a deep breath. "I brought him here to try and get over someone."_

" _Who?"_

" _I can't say." Her voice was barely above a whisper._

" _Who, Maura?"_

 _Maura shook her head and tears appeared in her eyes. "I can't say."_

 _"Why not?"_

" _Because it has the potential to ruin everything."_

 _Jane turned in her seat, put her bottle down and faced Maura, staring into those godly gorgeous eyes. "Maybe it doesn't have to," she whispered._

 _Maura's eyes went wide for a split second as she stared at the Detective next to her. "I'm scared, Jane."_

 _Jane's heart was beating in her throat. Both fear and hope raced through her system._

 _Maura took another deep breath and shook her head, clearly making a decision for herself. "You. I tried to get over you."_

 _Jane's breath hitched in her throat. It took a few seconds before she found her voice. "Did it work?"_

 _Maura looked deeply into the brunette's eyes. "No." She stepped closer towards Jane who slowly moved from her seat to get to the blonde's eye-level. "It didn't."_

" _Y-you gotta tell me what this means, Maura," Jane whispered, trying to hold back her tears. She wanted to wait before getting happy. Before falling hard._

" _It means-…" Maura sighed as a tear trickled down her cheek. "It means I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for a long time and I can't stop. I've been attracted to you from the moment we met and you're such a beautiful soul… And-… And I'm sorry if I ruined everything. I'll go if you want me to-…" She turned around but Jane stopped her by grabbing her arm._

 _Maura looked at Jane's hand before looking at her friend, glancing down at her lips. Before they knew what was happening, Maura's face was inches apart from Jane's, looking deeply into her eyes. Jane had to remind herself to keep breathing when their lips connected, hesitantly at first but when there was no resistance, Maura's arms wrapped around Jane's neck and the kiss turned to passion. She traced the brunette's lip with her tongue and the kiss deepened, both women sighing and one of them letting out a quiet moan, neither was sure who._

 _When they broke apart, Jane's stomach was filled with butterflies and tears of happiness filled her eyes. She looked at Maura, seeing those eyes that had a hundred different colors and sparkled with love, a love-induced smile curling her lips, that smile that was now meant to be for Jane. She looked at her honey-blond hair, the way it loosely curled around her shoulders, the way her robe was falling, revealing her chest and part of her shoulder… This woman was unreal. The most beautiful human being ever to walk the earth._

 _Maura let out a laugh, both from nerves and happiness. "Wow…"_

" _Wow, indeed," Jane whispered._

" _So-…"_

" _Let's not analyze this, okay?" Jane's hands were on Maura's hips, her thumbs making soft strokes. "Let's save that for later, please?"_

" _Yes." Maura nodded and smiled when Jane pulled her in for a hug, the brunette's long arms wrapping around her waist as Maura buried herself in the Detective's neck. "Can you just tell me what this means for you?" she whispered. "If you don't, I'll keep analyzing everything in my mind and I'll always wonder if my feelings are returned and I don't know, I don't know if you-…"_

" _I'm in love with you too, Maur." Jane didn't pull back. She kept her face buried into the shorter woman's curls. She couldn't face her. She didn't want to think of what this meant for their friendship or their future. She didn't want to think about what this meant for her as she had to face that fact that maybe she was a lesbian now, or whatever she wanted to call it. She didn't want to face life just yet. She just wanted to stay in this heavenly moment, Maura's scent overwhelming her, her soft arms keeping her safe, her warmth making her feel loved and cared for. She never wanted to leave this embrace, never wanted to forget the taste of Maura's lips and the way she looked at her. She wanted to keep living this dream for just a little bit longer, just in case it turned out to be a dream after all._

It wasn't a dream, though. Jane smiled when she thought back to the time that followed. She had never fallen more deeply in love, she had never had such strong feelings for someone before. She looked at her wife next to her, watching her beautiful face, wiped free from make-up, the wrinkles that showed her age, the smile that curled her lips when she lovingly caressed Anna's head on her shoulder, the unconditional love that showed in her eyes when she looked at their daughter. Jane was the luckiest woman alive.

Maura looked up from Anna and into her wife's eyes, smiling lovingly when she met her gaze. "I never stopped falling for her."

Anna chuckled. "When I'm older, I want to find someone I love just as much as you and Mama love each other."

Maura pulled the girl close into her side, resting her chin on top of Anna's head, keeping her eyes on her wife. "I hope you will, baby," she whispered. "You'll be the luckiest girl alive."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Maura sat on Lily's bed with her youngest daughter in her arms, gently rocking her back and forth after the girl woke up from a nightmare. She softly stroked her daughter's back with her hands as Lily rested on her mother's chest, silent tears trickling down her cheeks while she slowly calmed down.

She looked around the room, watching Lily's paintings taped to her wall, her desk filled with crayons and pencils, pieces of crumbled up paper on the floor and a spot in a corner of the room for her homework, her math book open and a notebook next to it, the exercises most likely not nearly finished for the next Monday. She pulled the covers higher around the girl on her chest and kissed the top of her head, Lily's dark curls messy from sleeping. She thought back to the time she held Lily in almost exact this position so many times when she tried to get the girl to sleep at night.

" _Shh," Maura hushed her little girl as she moved herself in the rocking chair, trying to get the unruly baby to go to sleep. Jane was at work and Lily just refused to go back to sleep after she woke up a while ago. She cried and cried and just didn't calm down. "What's wrong, my baby? Why are you so uneasy tonight?" She watched her daughter's small fists clenching on her chest, her breathing fast now that her loud cries were fading. "You're not hungry, you don't have a fever… Are you just tired? Is that it?" She gently rubbed the little girl's back and kissed her dark, curly hair. When she didn't calm down, she stood up from the chair and started pacing around the room. "Or is it your teeth? Is that it? Is that what's hurting you?" She took her daughter downstairs to look for her chewing toy, hoping to relieve the girl's discomfort._

 _It didn't help. Lily kept throwing the toy away and Maura was close to panic. She was pacing and pacing and kept whispering soothing words of love, but nothing worked. Tears burned in Maura's eyes when the front door opened and Angela walked into the house._

" _Hi." Angela smiled warmly and closed the door behind her before putting a bag on the kitchen counter, probably a home cooked dinner or some snacks._

" _Oh, thank you." Maura smiled, her hand still rubbing up and down Lily's back._

" _Where's Jane?"_

" _At work."_

 _Angela furrowed her brow as she studied her daughter-in-law's face. "Are you okay, Maura?"_

 _Maura sighed and closed her eyes. "She won't calm down. I tried everything, I think she's teething but biting my finger doesn't help, I tried cooling it, but she keeps pushing me away… She won't sleep, she's not hungry... I-… I don't know how to help her." Maura's voice broke and she felt a tear trickling down her cheek. "I'm her mother and I can't help her-…"_

" _Oh, Maura." Angela took off her coat and hung it on a chair before stepping towards the blonde and gently squeezing her arm. She looked at her fuzzing granddaughter and caressed the baby's cheek. "You're giving Mommy a hard time, huh? You little stinker!" Angela smiled. "I have an idea," she said softly, mostly to Lily. "Why don't we give Mommy some time alone? We're gonna have some grandma time, and Mommy is going to take a nice hot bath. Does that sound like a good plan, Lily?"_

 _The baby let out a gurgling sound, something between a cry and a word, but Maura felt her eyes filling with tears at Angela's caring tone. She tightened her arms around her baby. "Thank you," she whispered._

 _Angela turned her attention towards the blonde, looking into her eyes. "Don't mention it." She smiled lovingly and gently took Lily from her, the baby crying out when she was taken away from her mother._

" _I like having her with me when she's upset," Maura said softly, her arms feeling empty without Lily in them._

" _I know. I'll take her upstairs in a few minutes," Angela rocked her granddaughter from side to side. "Just take some time, honey. She senses your discomfort as well." She smiled and rested her cheek against Lily's head, the baby crying against her neck. "We'll be okay for a while downstairs."_

 _Maura sighed and nodded her head, grateful for her caring mother-in-law. She gave her daughter a kiss and headed upstairs to fill the bath with hot water and soap that smelled like lavender and honey. She undressed and lowered herself into the tub, only then feeling that her muscles were aching. She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, feeling the hot water soothing her body and mind._

 _She allowed herself to relax and felt the stress slowly leaving her body. She had been worrying too much. She worried about Anna in school, she worried about Jane at work, about her own return back to the office… And part of her still felt like a bad mother. She read every book in the world about raising children but she couldn't help feeling like an awful mother when Lily cried like she did that night._

" _Let's see how Mommy's doing, alright?" Angela's soft voice sounded from the hall after a few more minutes. "Oh, I know baby," she shushed after a cry from the baby. "I know you want Mommy."_

 _Maura opened her eyes and smiled when Angela slowly opened the bathroom door. She reached out her arms towards her baby girl, eager to comfort her again. Angela had already undressed Lily and she took off her diaper before handing her to Maura, who gently rested her on her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before sliding down in the water, feeling her daughter slowly calming down._

" _See?" Angela smiled, looking at her daughter and granddaughter. "She just wanted Mommy."_

 _Maura nodded and looked at the older woman, admiring her calmness and wisdom. "Thank you. I was stressed, that's all."_

 _Angela nodded, humming as she kneeled down next to the tub. "You shouldn't worry so much, Maura," she said softly. "Your children are doing fine, and they have the best mothers they could ask for."_

" _I'm not so sure…"_

" _You're not?" Angela raised her eyebrows and looked at the baby on Maura's chest, watching the girl's small hands kneading at the swell of her mother's breast, her dark eyes roaming across the bathroom and landing on her grandmother. A big, toothless grin appeared on the baby's face, eliciting a chuckle from the woman. "Look at her. She's doing just fine."_

 _Maura looked at her daughter, her heart filling with love for the little girl. "Now she is, yes."_

" _Every baby goes through this, Maura. She's just restless, it happens."_

" _I couldn't comfort her, Angela," Maura whispered, fresh tears filling her eyes. "I couldn't get her to calm down. It makes me feel like such a bad mother… I-… What if I'm not good for her?"_

 _Angela reached out and tucked a strand of loose hair behind Maura's ear, gently caressing her cheek. "Maura…"_

" _I mean-… I'm the one that gave birth to her but she doesn't have my DNA. She's not my biological daughter."_

" _Neither is Anna, have you ever had these doubts with Anna?"_

" _No." Maura shook her head, her tears trickling down her cheeks. "But I can talk to Anna. She can talk to me and tell me what's wrong. Lily's just a baby. I can't explain things to her, I can't teach her things… And I can't comfort her."_

" _Look at her, Maura," Angela whispered. "Really look at her."_

 _Maura sighed and looked at her daughter on her chest. The girl was lifting her head and Maura moved her so she could look at her baby girl. Her chubby fist was in her mouth, her other small hand on her mother's breast. She let out a happy squeal and grinned at her mother, those big dark eyes free from tears now. Maura felt her own tears increasing to a steady flow as she smiled at her beautiful baby daughter. She pulled one of her arms away underneath Lily's bum and caressed her cheek. "She's okay."_

" _She is." Angela smiled. "Because she's with her mother."_

 _Maura nodded, laughing through her tears when Lily accidentally hit her cheek._

" _Every mother feels this way from time to time." Angela chuckled at Lily before brushing her fingers across Maura's cheek. "You're a wonderful mother, Maura. Don't ever doubt that."_

 _Maura looked at Angela. "Thank you."_

" _I'm just telling the truth." Angela stood up and stretched her muscles. "I put food in the fridge, I made Anna that frozen fruit thing she loves so much."_

" _Oh thank you, she'll be very happy."_

" _Oh and Maura," Angela turned around in the doorway, "don't forget to relax every now and then."_

" _I'll remember."_

 _"And talk to Jane when she gets home."_

" _I will." Maura smiled, watching her mother leave before turning back to the baby on her chest. Lily was fine. Her daughter was fine._

Maura smiled at the memory, looking at the so much taller girl in her arms. That night, Jane had come home finding Maura in bed with a sleeping baby on her still bare chest, her eyes closed, every muscle totally relaxed. She put Lily to bed and the women made sweet love deep into the night.

It seemed like forever ago. Lily was ten now, growing taller and taller and even though she was still a playful child, she was growing up. Maura loved taking care of a little baby but she loved this part of motherhood. She loved being able to have conversations with her daughter, watch them grow up and develop their own character. "Deep breaths, baby," Maura said when she felt Lily's breathing becoming faster. "Deep breaths."

Lily took a deep breath and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "Stupid dreams," she whispered.

"It was a bad one, wasn't it?" Maura whispered.

Lily nodded. "A scary one."

"Hm." Maura sighed.

"But it was just a dream." Lily smiled sadly. "So I'm gonna be okay."

"Yes, baby." Maura moved to press a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "You're going to be okay."

 _A/N Sorry for the late update and messy chapter! Life is busy. I'm a little stuck on ideas for this story so I'm thinking of taking a pretty dramatic route. Would you all read that? Maybe some serious illness in the family? Let me know! I hope you'll stay with me if I decide to write the drama, I promise it will be okay in the end. Thank you so much for reading my stories and I love to get reviews from all of you!_


	32. Chapter 32

_A/N I'm so sorry for the long wait! My life is kind of turning upside down right now. I decided not to go the dramatic route yet, maybe I'll keep it in mind for later. For now, a little more fluff to hopefully make the world seem a little brighter for just a few minutes as you read this. Thank you all, your words mean the world to me!_

Chapter 32

"It's late for homework, baby." Maura walked past Morgan at the dinner table, placing a gentle kiss on top of her head. "How is the assignment coming along?"

Morgan shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I'm not sure I did it right."

"I can check it for you later." She pushed the book to the side and smiled at her daughter. "Right now it's time to take a break before you go to bed."

"But I'm not finished yet."

"When do you have to hand it in?"

"Next week."

"So you continue tomorrow." Maura sat down next to the girl and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You've been working for hours, honey. Taking a break will improve your productivity."

Morgan sighed deeply but nodded her head. "Okay."

"Okay. How about we pick a movie?" Maura looked at her daughter, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin. She was tired. She hadn't been herself since Anna's kidnapping and everything after it. But that was the case for everybody. The entire family was shaken up. Everyone was still trying to find their peace and process everything. It wasn't easy and Maura saw Morgan struggling. A movie-night with her family sounded like a good idea.

"There's a new one out, that one I told you about? It's supposed to be a little sad but Rachel said it was good."

"Anything is fine with me," Maura stood up and squeezed Morgan's shoulder. "You go find it, I'll make us something to drink. Is Lily upstairs?"

"Yeah, she's in the shower I think."

Maura called her youngest daughter from upstairs and prepared drinks and snacks before settling on the couch with Morgan on her left side and Lily on her right. Jane and Anna joined them soon after coming back from visiting Angela.

"How is your mother?" Maura asked, pressing her lips against Jane's cold ones for a hello kiss.

"Hm." Jane pursed her lips and pulled Lily into her lap before sitting down next to her wife. "She's a little out of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe it's just the flu, I don't know. I'll go check on her again tomorrow."

"I'll go with you." Maura moved herself closer towards her wife and laced her fingers with Jane's, squeezing gently.

They shared a quiet kiss and focused their attention on the movie that wasn't particularly interesting but seemed to have the full attention from the girls, except for Lily who was tired and had to be put to bed by Jane.

Maura wrapped her arm around Morgan's shoulders and pulled her into her side, looking at the girl being completely invested in the movie, her blue eyes focusing on the screen. Maura chuckled as she felt her daughter snuggling against her, her head resting on her mother's chest.

"Look at her, just like when she was little," Jane chuckled with a smirk at Maura. "Remember those sleepovers?"

"I sure do." Maura smiled, brushing her hand through Morgan's dark hair.

"Sleepovers?" The mentioning of her name caught Morgan's attention and she looked up at her mother with curious eyes.

"Oh yes, those sleepovers of yours and Anna's."

"We used to have sleepovers, yeah." Morgan smiled, looking at her sister in the big chair. "Ma got mad because we always talked so late."

Anna chuckled. "She wasn't mad, she just pretended to be so we would go to sleep."

"Why'd you remember?" Morgan asked her mothers.

"Well..." Maura smiled, relaxing against the back of the couch and getting comfortable with Morgan against her. "You always got a little homesick. But your dad wanted you to get over that, so he told us beforehand to let you stay with us unless it got really bad. And we did."

" _Here she comes." Jane sighed and untangled herself from her wife when they heard a door opening upstairs. The sound of small feet walking down the stairs announced the arrival of the sweet six-year-old coming into the living room. Craig had warned them about this. Morgan was bad at sleepovers. She missed her father and got anxious as soon as she had to go to sleep. He wanted to help his daughter get over the angst and he knew Morgan was comfortable with Jane and Maura. Maybe this would finally be the right time to get her to overcome it._

" _Hi." Maura smiled at the little girl and opened her arms for her. "What's wrong, honey?"_

" _I can't sleep." Her bottom lip quivered and thick tears welled up in her eyes._

" _Oh, come here." Maura pulled Morgan into her lap, pulling her short legs on either side of her waist as the girl rested on the blonde's chest. "Is Anna sleeping?"_

" _Yeah." She sniffled and allowed Jane to wipe a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. "I want Daddy."_

" _Daddy's at home, sweetie," Jane whispered. "He'll be here to pick you up tomorrow afternoon, remember?"_

" _B-but I want Daddy…"_

 _Maura knew it was no use to keep talking about her father. She decided distraction would be the best option so she turned on the television and kissed the top of Morgan's head. "Can you find something to watch for her?" she asked, handing the remote to Jane._

 _While Jane found a random cartoon, they shifted back to their original position, leaning against the armrest of the couch, Maura sitting in between Jane's legs. She pulled Morgan on her front against her chest and it didn't take long before the six-year-old was pulled into the cartoon and her tears were slowly drying._

 _Jane rested her cheek against Maura's temple and gently brushed Morgan's dark hair. "She's comfortable with you," she whispered._

" _Hm." Maura nodded, resting her cheek against Morgan's head. "She is."_

" _Isn't it a little strange though, that she's asking for her father and doesn't say anything about her mother?"_

" _Yes, it is."_

" _I mean," Jane lowered her voice to make sure Morgan didn't hear her, "I don't really know that woman but she doesn't exactly seem like a warm, loving mother. She hasn't said a thing about her, she only asks about him."_

" _Some children pull more towards their father." Maura rubbed her hand up and down Morgan's back. "But it is a little curious, yes. Judging by the way she acts around us, I do think she's not used to the kind of physical affection we offer."_

 _Jane hummed. "She's a cuddlebug."_

 _Maura chuckled softly, effectively breaking Morgan's attention away from the TV. She looked at the girl and smiled as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Are you feeling better?"_

 _Morgan nodded and snuggled back into Maura's chest, wiggling on top of her to get comfortable, eliciting chuckles from both women. Maura wrapped both her arms around the little girl and pulled her close while sighing deeply. "She craves the attention," she whispered. "I don't think she gets much at home."_

"We should have known by then," Jane said, adjusting Lily in her lap to look at Maura and Morgan next to her. "You never asked for her when you got homesick."

Morgan averted her gaze. "Yeah. I remember being happy to be away from home on those sleepovers but I missed Dad."

Maura pressed her lips against the teenager's temple, feeling the girl snuggling back against her chest.

"Now it's like my entire life is a sleepover."

"That feeling of being homesick is still there," Maura added quietly.

"Yeah." Morgan smiled sadly. "But at the same time, sleepovers are kinda fun. Even with being homesick."

"You grew out of it eventually," Jane said softly. "You got better and better the more you stayed with us. But those cuddles with Mom never change."

Maura chuckled and kissed the top of Morgan's head. "She's my baby girl."

"I'm not really, though," Morgan shook her head. "I'm adopted, after all."

"Oh I just meant to say you're my baby, as in my girl." She gently cupped the girl's cheek and kissed her forehead. "You have a special place in my heart and I love you."

"Love you too," Morgan mumbled while she turned her attention back to the television. "You guys always were the mom I never had, y'know? That's why I liked coming here. And Anna, of course."

"At one point you were spending more time with us than at your own house." Jane smiled and looked at Morgan. "Your dad missed you, but I think he understood why you wanted to come here so badly."

Morgan nodded. "He knew. I never had to ask him if I could go to Anna. I just told him so he'd know where I was and that was it." She shrugged and shifted against Maura's side. "I think he'd rather have me over here than at home sometimes." A look of intense sadness crossed Morgan's face but Maura gently tilted her chin to look at the girl.

"Do you know how special that is, baby?" she asked softly. "He missed you so much, but he let you stay with us because he knew it was better for you. All he ever wanted, was what was best for you and Rachel."

Tears filled Morgan's eyes as she looked at her mother. "That's true."

Maura pressed a kiss on Morgan's forehead and pulled her back against her while turning her attention back to the television. "He was a good man," she whispered quietly. "We all miss him."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"We couldn't have made her happier," Jane said with a slight smirk, grabbing Maura's hand as they walked across endless amounts of books. She watched Anna walking in front of them, her eyes big in wonder and excitement, her long blond hair bouncing in curls on her back, her skirt twirling around her legs. She was happy here. For so long the girl had been quiet and introverted, and the past few weeks she hadn't been herself. Jane came up with the idea of a day out with just the three of them and judging by the look on Anna's face, it had been an excellent idea.

"Mom, look!" Anna stood up on her toes and reached for a book, grabbing it and showing it to Maura who walked towards her and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders.

"Oh, a classic." Maura smiled when she looked at the book. "Did you know that the author is from Boston? He was born here and moved back in his late thirties, actually the time he wrote this book." 

"Really?" Anna's eyes went wide and she turned the book around to read the back. "I think I'll put it on my list."

Maura chuckled and the women watched Anna grabbing her notepad from Maura's purse and writing down the name of the book with her pencil. It was her library list. She wrote down every single book she wanted to read and took the list with her to the library to find them.

"We can buy it, you know," Jane said with a slight smile.

"Oh no, I want to know if it's good first, remember?"

"Yeah, how could I forget." Jane chuckled. Anna only bought books she had read before or books of which she knew were good. That way, like she said, she could read it over and over again and whenever she wanted. And another part of the reason was that Jane stopped her from buying books so they didn't have to buy her a new bookcase every month. "Alright," she looked around her, seeing that they hadn't even been through half of this store, "I'm gonna go sit down and get some coffee over there."

"Okay." Maura smiled and pulled away from Anna to press a light kiss on her wife's lips.

"You want anything?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine, I'll go with Anna."

"No! Ma… We can go somewhere else." Anna put the book back and looked up at her mother. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't your thing. We can go back."

"Are you kidding? I'm fine, baby."

"No, you don't like books-…"

"No, but I like you." Jane smiled and gently grabbed Anna's chin to look into her eyes. "Baby, you picked a bookstore with a coffee corner! I bet they got all kinds of fancy coffee over there, I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Anna asked quietly. "I feel bad."

"Don't. I'm gonna get myself some coffee and watch you and Mom geek out over things I don't understand. I'll be totally fine." She smiled and leaned forward to place a sweet kiss on Anna's forehead before patting her back. "Go. I think there are three thousand books left to discover."

Anna chuckled and looked at Maura before turning around and continuing her walk along the shelves. Jane watched them for a few seconds before heading towards the coffee corner, finding a place in a cozy booth from where she could see Maura and Anna talking excitedly about another book they found. This was their world. This is what they had in common and how they bonded and Jane loved to witness it.

"Thank you." Jane took the coffee from a polite young girl and sipped the hot liquid while she admired her wife and daughter. Maura looked beautiful today. She was wearing a simple grey sweater and a pair of tight black jeans, along with her high-heeled boots. She looked stunning. And then Anna. Jane was beyond proud to be the mother of such a beautiful girl. The most important part was that her eyes were sparkling again. For a long time since the kidnapping, her grey eyes were dull and filled with sadness and fear. But today they sparkled again. Anna was comfortable here and maybe she was even started to get happy again.

Jane smiled to herself and grabbed her phone to go through the messages she received in the time she put her phone away to be with her family. The homicide team worked on a complicated case and Jane rubbed her forehead while she read another decline for a warrant. She was just in the middle of a text when she heard a familiar voice crying out.

"Mom? Mom, where are you?"

"Anna?" Jane furrowed her brow, trying to determine where the sound came from.

"Mom!" Anna's voice started to sound panicked. "MOM!"

"Anna!" Jane stood up and hurried towards her daughter's voice. "Anna, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm sorry!" An unfamiliar man walked out of an isle with his hands held up high. "I'm sorry…"

"What happened?" Jane furrowed her brow in anger and saw Anna standing in a corner, her arms wrapped around herself as tears trickled down her cheeks. "Baby, are you okay?"

Anna nodded and allowed Jane to wrap her arms around her, pulling her against her chest. "What happened?" she asked the man, looking into his eyes that looked at them with regret and kindness.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-… She was reaching for this book and the shelf was too high so I got it for her," he shook his head and seemed truly upset by Anna's reaction. "I just wanted to help," he whispered. "I never meant to upset her, I'm so sorry."

Jane smiled sadly, looking at this kind stranger who seemed in his fifties, holding a briefcase and the book he grabbed for Anna. "It's okay," she said softly while brushing her fingers through Anna's hair. "She's been through a lot, it's not your fault."

"I'm sorry." Sympathy and pain filled the man's eyes. "I never meant to harm her," he whispered.

"I know." Jane smiled. "It's okay. She'll be okay."

The man nodded and smiled sadly at Jane after another sob from Anna. He turned around and left, leaving the two of them in the corner.

"Anna?" Maura voice called out and she appeared around the corner, out of breath from hurrying to find her daughter. "Oh, baby… I couldn't find you!" She walked towards her wife and daughter and kissed the back of Anna's head. "What happened, sweetheart?" 

Anna's breath hitched in her throat and she turned her head on Jane's chest to look at her other mother. "I couldn't find you," she whispered through her tears. "And then a strange man walked by and-… and he g-got close and-…. I was just scared."

Jane sighed deeply and pulled her daughter as close as possible. This wasn't the first time this happened. The kidnapping made Anna afraid of strangers. Men, especially. Whenever she was alone and a strange man came by, Anna panicked. It reminded her of the situation when she was kidnapped in the forest. They had to get her to overcome her fear of strangers, but Jane had no idea where to start.

"Come on, let's sit down for a minute, huh?" she gently wrapped her arm around Anna's shoulder and led them towards the coffee corner, sitting down in the booth and pulling her daughter against her side. "He was just trying to help, honey."

"He wasn't trying to hurt you," Maura added quietly, sitting down opposite them. "You're safe here."

"I know." Anna nodded and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I know all that. I just panicked, that's all. Stupid."

"It's not stupid." Maura smiled. "It's totally understandable."

Jane smiled at her wife while she gently rubbed her hand up and down Anna's arm and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, baby," she whispered into the girl's temple. "I'm so proud of you, my little girl."

Anna smiled slightly and snuggled herself against her mother. "I'm not doing so great, Ma."

Tears filled Jane's eyes and she looked at her wife to see the same reaction. "No," she whispered. "But that's okay. You'll be doing better soon, I know it."

"You were doing amazingly well today, Anna," Maura added with a loving smile.

"It's still a fun day." Anna smiled at her mother. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. We'll have a drink and continue this amazing bookstore when you feel better," she reached across the table and grabbed Anna's hand. "Okay?"

"Yeah." Anna smiled and they did just that. Jane went with her wife and daughter for the rest of the store, simply to catch her daughter's smiles and the loving sparkle in Maura's eyes. She couldn't care less about the literature and the authors and the stories behind the books. But she couldn't get enough of the way Anna's eyes sparkled when she found another book or the way she looked at Maura when she told her some fact about an author. Anna stayed close to her mothers, not getting an inch too far away from them. She was quieter than before but Jane saw her eyes sparkling again.

When they finally finished, they headed towards the checkout with three books and a very long library-list. A kind older woman greeted them politely and raised her eyebrows when she saw Anna. "Oh!" she smiled at her. "I think I have something for you."

"For me?" Anna furrowed her brow.

"Oh, yes." She reached under the counter and handed Anna a book. "It's already been paid for." She winked at Jane and Maura and took the books and Maura's credit card.

Jane looked over Anna's shoulder as she opened the book and found the receipt inside with a note written on the back. Tears burned in Jane's eyes when she read it.

 _To the beautiful young girl with the strong heart,_

 _This book is my gift to you, as I hope you will enjoy it like I did when I was younger. It holds a world of discoveries and I am certain you will discover the tragedy and beauty of this story._

 _The fact that I upset you saddens me and I apologize from the deepest of my heart. I hope you will accept my apologies, but above all I hope you see will your strength one day. I pray you will find peace and the courage to face whatever you are facing. I hope you will forever be able to find shelter at your mother's heart, which is the safest place to be._

 _Kind regards._

"Wow." Anna shook her head in disbelief. "It's from that man…"

"It is." Jane smiled and brushed her hand through her daughter's hair.

Maura absentmindedly took the books back from the lady, along with her credit card. "Is there a phone number somewhere?"

"No." Anna shook her head and looked for any contact information. "Nothing."

"Just a kind stranger." Jane smiled, looking over Anna's head at Maura. She thanked the woman behind the counter and the family headed outside for the walk back towards the parking lot where the car would be.

Maura took Jane's hand in hers, her other arm wrapped around Anna's shoulders to avoid the girl walking into a wall as she read the back of her books again. Jane chuckled and kissed her wife's temple.

"It's a good day," Maura whispered.

"It is."

"It baffles me. Somehow, that man did exactly what she needed. He restored her faith in strangers…" she shook her head and looked lovingly at their daughter next to her. "He showed her that not all men are monsters."

Jane smiled at the way Maura looked at Anna, her eyes filled with love, relief and pride. She didn't reply and just squeezed her wife's hand while leaning towards her and kissing her temple.

They stopped for a red light and Maura moved closer towards her wife, wrapping her arm around hers as she pulled Anna against her side. "Don't read while crossing the street, Anna," she said with a smile, brushing a strand of hair out of the girl's face when she looked up at her. "Pay attention."

"Right." Anna shook her head and put the book in the bag hanging from her shoulder. They crossed the street and walked into a less crowded street. The sky was slowly getting dark, announcing the bad weather that was about to come their way.

"What's next?" Jane asked while she pushed the button on her key to open the car. "Food? It's not really dinnertime yet but we could find a nice place?" She looked at Anna for her opinion and saw her daughter smiling at her.

"Yeah, okay."

"Any preferences?" Maura asked.

Anna shrugged. "Someplace quiet… Maybe?"

Maura nodded and cupped Anna's cheeks with both her hands before pressing her lips against the girl's forehead. "Of course." She pulled back to look at her daughter. "How about that small French restaurant we went to a few months ago?"

"Yeah." Anna smiled gratefully.

"Okay, let's go then instead of standing in the rain!" Jane chuckled and opened the door for Maura before walking around the car and getting behind the wheel.

"Moms?" Anna called from the backseat.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for today." She smiled and looked down at her lap, fumbling with her coat. "It's a good day."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"Do you really have to go, Mama?" Lily pouted while she poured too much cereal into a bowl.

Jane smiled. "Yeah, baby. Mommy and I need some time off."

"Why?"

Jane shrugged. She poured the milk into Lily's bowl and watched the cereal floating up. "Sometimes married people need to take a little vacation, to fall in love again."

"Fall in love again?" Lily wrinkled her brow and grabbed a spoon. "Gross. Aren't you guys already in love?"

"We are, but with four kids, busy jobs and a family like ours… Sometimes we have to make sure we remember that we're in love."

"You forgot?" Lily chuckled and shook her head. "You've been married for like centuries!"

"Well, that's the point." Jane sat down next to her youngest daughter and stared at her while she ate her breakfast. "Sometimes, when you're married for a really long time, it's easy to forget how lucky you are. Lately, we've been busy with you and your sisters and we kinda forgot that we're very much in love. So we're gonna take a few days to remember."

Lily looked at her empty spoon. "We didn't mean to make you forget," she said softly.

"Oh no baby, it's not your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's ours." Jane smiled sadly and tucked a curl behind Lily's ear. "Mine, really. I haven't been paying enough attention to her lately."

"To Mom?"

"Yeah, but we're okay. Don't worry. We still love each other very much."

"Who does?" Maura walked into the kitchen, putting in one of her earrings while she looked at her wife and daughter.

"You and me." Jane replied while she pursed her lips and asked for a kiss.

"Oh, yes." Maura chuckled, kissing her wife and then the top of Lily's head. "Where are the girls?"

"Anna's in the study, Morgan's in the shower, I think?"

Maura hummed and grabbed her purse, checking for the last time if she packed anything. Her suitcase was lying open on the floor and she kneeled in front of it to roam through it, looking for something.

"Maura, you packed for months!" Jane groaned and grabbed her own smaller bag, which contained everything she would need for the next few days. "It's only a couple of days," she walked towards her wife and threw her bag on the floor, "and besides," she whispered, "I don't think we'll need that many clothes."

Maura shook her head. "I like to have options, I can't possibly pick out my outfits for days to come."

"I have an idea for a perfect outfit." Jane kneeled down and closed Maura's suitcase before she could pack more stuff she wouldn't need.

"What outfit?"

Jane straightened her back and looked at the blonde, her head tilted. "Really?"

Maura furrowed her brow. 

She moved towards the doctor and kissed her temple before whispering in her ear, "you don't need to wear anything, babe. Wasn't that kind of the point of our trip?"

Maura tilted her head and pulled back to look at her wife, her eyes twinkling playfully. "Yes, how could I forget."

"Mom!" Morgan's voice pulled the women out of their thoughts as she came walking downstairs holding one of Maura's sweater. "You forgot your sweater. Remember, you asked me to remind you? It was in the bathroom."

"Oh goodness! Thank you!"

"Maura! Another sweater? You have like ten in there!"

"One! I need more than one sweater, Jane."

"Why?"

"This one might get dirty! And it doesn't match the pants I have packed."

Jane shook her head and decided to let it go. She watched Maura opening the suitcase again and neatly folding the sweater into it. When she closed the suitcase, she clapped her hands and stood up. "There. All ready to go."

"Great! Coffee's almost done, time to say goodbye."

Maura sighed and looked at Morgan with a warm smile. They knew Morgan hated saying goodbye. She didn't do well without her mothers and Maura knew that. But Jane convinced her this would be good for the girl. Morgan had to learn to be without her parents, she had to learn she would be okay without them. "It's just for a few days," Maura said softly while she gently cupped Morgan's face. "We'll be back before you know it. And in the meantime, you'll have a great time with Grandma Angela."

Morgan nodded. Her expression dropped and she lowered her head. "I'll miss you, Mom."

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart." Maura swallowed and wrapped her arms around her daughter, kissing the top of her head and pulling the girl to her chest. "It'll be okay."

"What if I have nightmares?" Morgan's voice sounded small and Maura felt tears in her eyes. She looked over Morgan's head at Jane and saw a reassuring smile and a gentle nod of her head.

"Then Grandma will be here to help you through it," Maura whispered after a deep sigh. "Or Anna, or even Lily if you want to hear an inappropriate joke." She smiled when Morgan chuckled and pulled back to kiss her forehead. "And if it's a really bad one, you call. We'll have our phones with us."

Morgan nodded. She wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and snuggled herself close. "I'll be okay," she whispered. "You have fun with Ma."

"I will." Maura squeezed the girl in her arms before kissing her head and letting her go. "Go give your Ma a hug."

"C'mere, you pretty thing!" Jane opened her arms and pulled her daughter against her. "Make sure you have a lot of parties while we're gone, alright? Invite all your friends, trash the place, get a boyfriend with a motorcycle…" 

"Jane!" Maura gasped.

"I'm kidding!" Jane chuckled and brushed a strand of dark hair out of Morgan's face. "But seriously," she whispered, lowering her head towards the short teenager, "a party's not a bad idea, huh?"

Morgan chuckled and shook her head. "No, I'll talk to Anna about it."

She gave her daughter one more kiss and squeezed her arms before moving on to Lily. "Lils, you take care of the place, alright?" She wrapped the girl up in her arms and lifted her from her seat, putting her on top of the kitchen counter when she felt the weight and realized her little girl was getting too big to carry. She pointed her finger at her. "Make sure Grandma makes you cookies and make sure those sisters of yours won't be too boring."

Lily laughed and shook her head. "Okay."

"Come here," Jane whispered, wrapping her arms around her daughter. "I'll miss you, baby."

Lily just nodded against her mother and squeezed her arms around Jane's neck. Jane smiled and looked through the mess of her daughter's curls to see Maura opening her arms for Anna who walked into the room.

Fifteen minutes later, the women finally had put on their coats and put their luggage in the back of the car. "Alright, time to go." Jane closed the door and gave her three daughters one last kiss. "We have our phones on us, and we're only a few hours away."

"We'll be okay." Anna smiled at Jane and gave her another hug. "Have fun, Mama." 

"Bye, peanut." She pulled away from her daughter and saw Maura brushing her hand across Morgan's cheek who was visibly trying to hold back her tears. "Come on, babe," she whispered while she placed her hand on Maura's lower back. "Time to go."

Maura nodded. She swallowed and kissed Morgan's forehead, ruffled Lily's curls and squeezed Anna's arm. "Bye girls. Take good care of Grandma when she gets here."

"We will!" Lily waved at her mothers as they got in the car, Jane behind the wheel and Maura in the driver's seat before they took off.

Maura sighed when they turned around the corner and silence filled the car, the only sound coming from the engine. "I don't like leaving them."

"I know."

She turned her head and looked at the dark-haired detective next to her. "But I'm excited to go," she said softly. "I miss you."

Jane smiled and stopped at a red light. She looked at her wife and took her hand in hers. "I'm excited too," she whispered. "I'm excited to remember how much I love you."

"I can't wait to remind you," Maura chuckled and squeezed Jane's hand before letting her go so she could grab the wheel and take off, ready for a romantic getaway.

 _A/N I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long! I hope you're still with me on this story, I will hopefully have some more time for it soon. Thank you all for reading, I love to get reviews!_


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Thank you," Jane hovered over her wife and slowly leaned down to press her lips against her wife's, careful and soft.

Maura's arms went up around the brunette's shoulders, tangling her fingers in dark, messy curls. "For what?"

"For being you. For loving me, for letting me love you."

"Anytime, my love," Maura whispered, kissing her wife's lips again. "Anytime." She pulled Jane closer and fully on top of her, moaning slightly at the close contact without clothes. "I love you, Jane," she whispered. "I love you and I love this."

"It was a good idea to get away."

Maura nodded into the crook of her lover's neck, snuggling herself against the taller woman. She hummed and placed a kiss against Jane's warm skin.

"Maura?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Maura furrowed her brow when Jane rolled off her and she rested herself up on her elbow to look at the brunette next to her.

"The past weeks. I was-… I mean-… I don't know." She shook her head. "Never mind."

"Jane, talk to me."

"It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not."

Jane shook her head again and lifted herself up from the bed, standing up and grabbing a robe from a chair. "What do we do for dinner?"

"Jane." Maura stopped her wife and sat up on the edge of the bed, tilting her head and grabbing Jane's arm. "Talk to me, babe."

Jane sighed deeply. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For forgetting."

"Forgetting what? Jane, you're being awfully vague and you know I don't like to guess."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat, wishing she never started talking in the first place. Now she didn't have a choice. She knew Maura wouldn't let it go. "The other day, when I pulled a fourteen-hour day… You were already sleeping and I got home and-… And I forgot to kiss you goodnight."

"Kiss me goodnight?" Maura tilted her head, still holding Jane's wrist. "While I was sleeping?"

"Yeah." Jane lowered her head and she rubbed her forehead. "Usually, when I get home late and you're sleeping, I kiss you goodnight and just look at you for a while. Just-… To remind myself how lucky I am that you're in my bed and that you're mine to kiss. But the other day I just went to sleep without kissing you, without looking at you. I just went to bed and fell asleep."

"I never knew…" Maura whispered quietly.

"No, you didn't need to know. Those were kind of my moments of happiness, y'know? I'd do it with the kids too. Just give them a kiss goodnight and watch them sleep for a while." She chuckled without happiness, shaking her head at herself. "Now that I say it out loud it sounds creepy and stupid."

"No." Maura gently pulled Jane's arm to get her back on the bed. She refused at first but when the blonde tugged harder she gave in and took place next to her wife. "It's not stupid at all."

"It makes me happy to watch you sleep," Jane whispered quietly, looking at both of their hands intertwined on the bed in between them. "You look peaceful. And beautiful. You're always beautiful when you sleep. And in those moments-… I remind myself that I'm the luckiest person in the world. That you're mine and that I have to make sure to show you how much I love you."

"I love you too," Maura whispered so quietly Jane barely registered it.

"But lately… I don't know, I forgot how lucky I am. I mean-… I still love you and all but that feeling of gratitude… I lost it a little. It was so natural to me to have you sleeping next to me. That morning I woke up and you were already downstairs making breakfast and you handed me a cup of coffee and we kissed and that kiss was so… quick. And then I looked at you and you looked so goddamn beautiful." Jane smiled shyly when she remembered that morning. It was like her eyes opened and she saw her wife in a new light. Her hair had been tied up in a bun, her cheeks were pink and her skin glowing without make-up. She had taken Jane's breath away and she had grabbed the blonde's hips and repeated that kiss the way it was meant to be.

"That was the morning you proposed the idea of a trip," Maura said softly, tears shimmering in her hazel eyes.

Jane nodded. She looked up and gasped when she saw Maura's tears. "Oh babe, don't take this the wrong way. I never stopped loving you! I love you with all my heart, you're my everything-…"

"I know." Maura put her hand on Jane's arm and smiled warmly at her. "I know you won't stop loving me. It's just that we lost the passion a bit. I lost it too. In our kisses, our touches. They were quicker, more rushed. I didn't pay enough attention, I let it slide." She averted her gaze. "I love you, Jane, I don't ever want to forget how much."

"I want us to keep this, Maura," Jane whispered. She tangled her fingers with her wife's and scooted closer towards her. "I know things like this are bound to happen after so many years of being married but I don't want our fire to burn out. I want to keep those goodnight kisses and those moments of gratitude."

Maura smiled lovingly. She reached up to caress Jane's cheek and nodded her head. "We'll be alert. Pay attention. Whenever life feels too rushed and we're slipping through each other's fingers, we'll pause and take some time. For the two of us."

Jane nodded and leaned forward to rest her forehead against her wife's. "Promise."

"Promise."

She looked into Maura's eyes and gently caressed her cheek, stroking her fingers over the freckles she loved so much, towards her wife's jaw and neck, landing on her chest where she flattened her palm and felt her steady heartbeat. Maura moved her hand on top of Jane's, her other hand tangling in her loose curls, eliciting a smile from the brunette. "I can't believe you're mine," Jane whispered quietly. "So beautiful, so brilliant and such a kind soul… And you're mine…"

"All yours." Maura leaned forward and pressed her lips against her wife's, the kiss starting out soft and gentle but intensifying when she moved her body against the taller woman, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. When they broke apart, Maura panted and smiled lovingly. "I love you so much, Jane," she said softly. "My Jane."

"I'm still sorry I didn't kiss you goodnight, Maura." Jane lowered her gaze. "You deserve better."

Maura shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. I let it slide just as much as you did. But we're catching up now, aren't we?"

"Very much, yeah."

"We'll catch up on all of those goodnight kisses," Maura said, moving to straddle Jane's lap and kissing her lips. The sheet fell from her chest, exposing her upper body while she moved on top of Jane's. "We'll catch up on all those missed opportunities of making love, all those nights we spent with Morgan after her nightmares, all those showers we took apart instead of together…"

Jane smirked and kissed her wife's soft lips while moving her hands up the smooth skin of her back. "All those minutes we spent every day wasting time on useless things like work, sleep, eating, family… Minutes we could've been kissing," her lips met Maura's while they lowered themselves on the bed, Maura gently tugging on Jane's robe to get it off. "All those times I forgot to say I love you…" Jane pulled away and looked at the beautiful blonde on top of her. "We'll make up for all of it."

"Hmm." Maura moaned quietly. "I can't wait."

When they woke up after an unintended nap after hours of making love, Jane felt sweet kisses on her bare shoulder and opened her eyes to see her beautiful wife smiling down at her. She smiled tiredly. "Time is it?"

"Almost eight."

Jane hummed and yawned while turning on her side. "I'm hungry."

"So am I, we haven't had lunch."

"We had more important things to do."

"Yes we did, but I think we should get some dinner right now."

"Right." Jane chuckled and sat up, kissing her wife's lips gently. "Where?"

"There's a beautiful restaurant down the street. Greek, I think."

"Greek? Romantic."

Maura chuckled. "Go get ready." She patted Jane's leg and got off the bed, tying a robe around her waist and disappearing in the shower.

The restaurant was small and adorable, the lighting warm and the booths cozy. It wasn't too crowded and Maura ordered a glass of red wine while Jane enjoyed a strange kind of beer. They just ordered their dinner while Maura's phone buzzed, signaling a text from Anna.

"What does she say?"

Maura chuckled. "It's a picture of a book she got at the library. She's been looking for it for a while." She texted her back, a sweet smile on her face that turned into sadness when she put her phone away.

Jane took her wife's hand and squeezed it gently. "I miss them too, Maur."

"I didn't say-…"

"You didn't have to." Jane smiled sadly. "It's not easy being away from them."

"But I love this," Maura looked at her wife and took her hand with both of hers, "I love this trip, I love spending every minute of the day with you, I love _you_ …"

"I know. Missing them is not about this trip. We're away from them no matter how much fun we're having."

Maura nodded. "I do miss them."

"It's hard not to miss those girls." Jane chuckled and took a sip of her beer. "Those damn gorgeous girls."

"Watch your language." Maura smiled and moved towards the corner of the booth to sit against her wife's side. She sent another text to Anna and then put her phone back in her purse.

"What did you text?"

"That I love her. And I asked her to tell the others to give them a kiss from us."

Jane kissed her temple and smiled against her perfect curls. She felt her wife easing down. Just an 'I love you' text was enough to get the girls off her mind. She was able to put it down and let them go to enjoy this night out with her wife.

The food arrived and tasted delicious, they spent the night sipping wine and talking about everything and nothing. They even shared a piece of pie for dessert before they went out for a walk through the deserted streets of the romantic down.

Maura looked radiant. She wore a blue dress and high, black boots, a white coat and red scarf completing the outfit and complimenting her perfect curls. Her make-up looked more natural and her cheeks were pink but the most beautiful thing about the ME was the smile on her face. The way her eyes sparkled with love and the way her lips curled up into that loving smile she reserved for Jane. When they were both freezing and couldn't feel their toes, they went back to their place and took a hot shower where Jane showed her wife once again how grateful she was to have her as her partner, her lover, her best friend and her everything. She showed it all and more, as much as she could.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"Almost home." Maura squeezed Jane's leg when they drove around the corner towards their house. The past few days had been a dream. They spent more time in bed than anywhere else and Maura felt sore in every inch of her body but it was all worth it. She fell in love with Jane all over again. Now every time she looked at the strong, tall brunette, she felt butterflies in her stomach and felt overwhelmed with gratitude. No matter how much she missed the girls, she had the time of her life.

Jane drove the car into the garage and silence filled the air when she turned off the engine. She got out but Maura stopped her before she could walk into the house. "What?" Jane furrowed her brow. "Maura, I'm pretty anxious to hug those kids of ours, don't tell me-…" 

Maura silenced her with a passionate kiss.

"Hmm." Jane hummed into the kiss and smirked when they broke apart. "What was that for?"

"Thank you," Maura whispered, "for this trip."

"You're welcome, it was totally my pleasure." 

"Now let's hug those kids!" Maura smiled brightly and hurried into the house. "Girls? We're home!"

"Mommy!" Lily's voice broke the silence and a mess of black curls appeared in the hallway when she ran towards her mother, crashing against her when she wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.

"Oh hi, sweetheart." Maura wrapped her little girl up in her arms and kissed the top of her head. "How are you?" She pulled back and looked into familiar brown eyes.

"Good." Lily nodded. "We lost the game, though. Last Saturday."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Lily shrugged and moved back into the embrace. "It's okay. That way it's alright you and Ma weren't there."

Maura smiled, kissed the girl's forehead and felt her moving away to greet Jane. She walked into the living room and furrowed her brow when she saw Anna lying on the couch, Angela sitting on the edge of it stroking Anna's forehead.

"Hi!" Angela greeted them with a smile.

"What's going on?" Maura kissed her mother's cheek but looked at Anna, seeing her awfully pale face with a feverish blush on her cheeks.

"The flu, I think." Angela sighed. "She's been having a cold but since last night she came down with a fever. I wanted to call you but she convinced me not to, saying you'd be home soon."

Maura smiled sadly at her daughter and took Angela's place when she stood up for her. She caressed the girl's warm cheek and pressed her lips against her forehead. "My baby," she whispered. "You could have called us."

Anna shook her head. "It's okay," her voice sounded hoarse, barely above a whisper, causing Maura's brow to furrow.

"She's been coughing," Angela explained. "A lot."

"God." Maura shook her head and brushed a strand of ash-blond hair out of Anna's face. "You know, we have cough syrup in-…"

"She already had some. Three times a day." Angela put a cup of steaming hot tea on the table, adding a spoonful of honey and stirring it for her granddaughter. "Vitamin C as well. Chicken soup and a lot of honey for her sore throat. I checked, I don't think it's strep throat but she's not far from it. She has an ugly cough-…" Anna's loud cough interrupted her and she looked sadly at the sick girl, "but that syrup works like a charm."

Maura looked at her mother-in-law and saw a great deal of care in her kind eyes. Her child had been in good hands. "Thank you," she whispered, her hand still stroking Anna's cheek.

"Did you have a good trip?" Anna asked weakly.

"We did." Maura nodded. "Very good."

Anna coughed again, her face scrunching in pain. Maura sighed and grabbed the blanket that was thrown over the girl's legs, pulling it up around her waist. She looked up at Jane and saw her smiling sadly. She made place for her wife who immediately sat down next to their daughter and kissed her cheek. "Hey, peanut."

"Mom."

Maura looked up and saw Morgan walking towards her, eliciting a sweet smile from the blonde. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi." She allowed her mother to wrap her arms around her while she buried herself against the blonde.

"How did it go?" Maura asked, pulling her daughter against her chest while brushing her dark hair back.

"Fine." 

"Any nightmares?"

"Two."

"Hm. How bad?"

"One really bad one. One stupid one."

Maura sighed. "What did you do?"

"Well... The first one was just stupid." Morgan smiled sadly and looked down at her feet. "I just watched some TV with Grandma."

"And the bad one?"

"Anna heard me… And we talked and I slept in her room."

Maura smiled and kissed the top of the girl's head. "Good, very good."

"It was nice, kind of like a sleepover." Morgan smiled and pulled back to look at her mother. "Like we did before we became sisters."

"That does sound nice." Maura tucked a strand of hair behind Morgan's ear and caressed her cheek. "I'm proud of you, honey. You did very well."

Morgan nodded and smiled proudly. "I did miss you, though."

"Well of course, I missed you too." Maura chuckled and hugged her daughter again, squeezing her close until she heard Anna getting lost in a coughing fit again. She sighed deeply and furrowed her brow in concern.

"Grandma says it's just the flu, Mom," Morgan said softly. "She'll be okay."

Maura smiled sadly. "I know. I just hate seeing my daughters sick."

"I know." Morgan leaned sideways against her mother, looking at her sick sister on the couch as Jane handed her a glass of water. "We made tea," she said, looking up at the blonde, "you want some?"

"I'd love some."

That night, Angela left after enjoying a simple takeout dinner and the family sat in the living room watching a movie, Anna barely sitting up in between her mothers on the couch, Morgan curled up into a chair and Lily restlessly walking in between the kitchen and the living room clearing away the remnants of dinner. The girl was bad at situations like this. She wanted to help but she couldn't make Anna better. She had missed her mothers but she didn't want to admit it and she was too proud for a night of cuddling.

"Moms?" Lily walked towards the couch. "Y'know, I learned how to make coffee. Do you want coffee?"

"Wow, really?" Jane raised her eyebrows. "With Mom's fancy coffee maker?"

Lily chuckled. "No, with your old one. But Grandma says the coffee's good. I had a taste but coffee's gross."

"Thank God, the last thing we need is caffeine in you!" Jane smirked.

Maura smiled and shook her head. "Thank you for the offer baby, but I'm okay."

"No coffee? Ma?" 

"No thanks, later maybe."

Lily nodded and sighed, looking around to find something to occupy herself with.

"Lily," Maura patted the spot net to her on the couch, "come here."

"Why?"

"Because I missed you." Maura gently pulled her daughter next to her and into her arms. "And you missed us too."

Lily shrugged but the way she snuggled against Maura's side told her mother she was right. She had missed them. Maura smiled to herself and kissed her daughter's dark curls. "So you lost the game this weekend?"

"Yeah, and those guys were total jerks." Lily huffed. "They kept calling us names afterwards and being stupid." 

"Ah, arrogance."

"Big time. It's good Ma wasn't there, she would've kicked their butts. Some stupid girl even made fun of my hearing aids."

"Oh, that's just wrong."

"You bet I would kick their butts!" Jane snored and tightened her arms around Anna against her side. "It's one thing to win a game but why kick the losing team when they're down? Have some respect, at least. You guys put up a great fight."

"How did you know?" Maura asked, looking at her wife. "You weren't there, were you?"

"No, I was busy with you. But Lily and I already did an extensive analysis of the game. Right, Lil?"

Lily nodded firmly. "Yep. There's no way we're losing the next one."

Maura chuckled and rubbed her hand up and down her daughter's arms. "That's my girl."

They stayed silent for a while until Jane's quiet voice whispered, "Maur."

"Hm?"

She had her lips pressed against Anne's temple and looked sad. "She's burning hot," she said softly.

Maura felt Anna's forehead and after feeling the heat coming from the girl, she felt her heartbeat, concluding it was too fast. "When was the last time Grandma gave you that medicine, honey?"

Anna shrugged. "I'm not sure," her voice was hoarse and she turned her head to rest it on Maura's shoulder. "Around lunchtime, I think."

"You can have another dose for the night."

"I'll get it," Lily was already off the couch, "I know where it is."

"Thank you, baby." Maura chuckled. "Could you get that cough syrup as well?"

"Oh, I had more of that already," Anna said quietly. "Right before you guys came home."

"Hm." Maura pursed her lips. "One more dose before you go to sleep then." She took the medicine from Lily, along with a glass of water and handed it to Anna.

After Anna took it, she snuggled against Jane who pulled her close and looked at her wife over Anna's head. She smiled slightly and winked at her. "Welcome home," she whispered.

Maura smiled. She pulled Lily back in her arms and brushed her hand across Anna's cheek. "It's good to be home."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"I hate calling in sick for school," Anna's voice was barely above a whisper while she crossed her arms and stared at the wall just as Jane put down her phone.

"I know, peanut. But there's no way you can go to school like this."

"I don't have a fever."

"Anna, you're sick. You can only whisper, your throat is killing you and that fever comes and goes. You're not going to school."

Sudden tears appeared in Anna's eyes and she nodded slowly. "I know."

"Hey," Jane took place next to her daughter on the bed. "It's okay, baby. Everyone gets sick sometimes. There's nothing you can do about it."

"I just don't like missing classes."

"You're smart enough to catch up on all of them." Jane sat up against the headboard and wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "I know being sick sucks."

"Really sucks."

"Really, really sucks." Jane sighed and kissed Anna's temple. "But you have to allow yourself to be sick, peanut. It'll only take longer if you deny it."

"I know." Anna turned on her side and snuggled against her mother. "I feel so bad, Mama," she whispered. "Everything hurts."

Jane swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. "I know, baby." She wrapped her arms around the girl, resting her chin on top of Anna's head on her chest. "You want to watch a movie? Get your mind off it?"

Anna just shrugged. "Maybe."

"C'mon." Jane gave her daughter a kiss and gently helped her up from the bed. She grabbed the throw blanket and wrapped it around Anna's shoulders over her pajamas. The girl was standing weakly on her legs when she started coughing and Jane held her up to help her downstairs where she settled her on the couch. She kissed the top of her head and stroked her cheek. "You gotta drink something, baby," she said softly. "What do you want?"

"Tea?"

"Coming right up."

"Don't you have work today, Ma?" Anna asked while Jane started boiling water.

"BPD can manage without me for a few hours." She grabbed the honey from a cabinet and a searched for a big mug. "What kind of tea do you want? Your Mom has all those crazy teas…"

"I don't care as long as it's not that panda poop kind."

Jane chuckled. "Noted. There's something green with berries over here."

Anna nodded but another coughing fit interrupted her from replying. Jane sighed. She hated seeing her daughter sick. Her mind kept jumping to worst case scenarios, thinking Anna had more than just the flu and that every cough got worse and worse and that something was terribly wrong with the young girl. But she knew it was her instinct talking. She was being the concerned mother. She poured the hot water on the teabag in a blue mug and walked back to Anna, placing the mug on the coffee table and sitting next to the girl. "Here you go," she whispered, "now come here." She wrapped her arms around the skinny teenager and pulled her close, feeling Anna wiggling to get comfortable on the couch against her mother while she started a movie.

She only finished half the movie before she fell asleep, allowing Jane to stay awake and worry before she carefully managed to grab her laptop and catch up on some work until Maura got home, quietly opening the front door and smiling when she saw them.

"Hi," she whispered. "How is she?"

Jane sighed and looked at Anna who was sleeping against her upper arm. She felt her forehead and shrugged. "Still hot. Tired, miserable."

"Poor baby." Maura leaned down and carefully pressed her lips against Anna's forehead. "Not much better."

"How's the case? Any results?"

Maura nodded. "Yes, DNA results and the test on the metal plate should be back soon. They are waiting for you at the station."

"Great." Jane carefully untangled herself from her sleeping daughter and stood up from the couch, cupping Maura's cheek to kiss her. "She only had tea," she whispered. "She didn't want to eat."

"Hm." Maura kissed her wife again and squeezed her arm. "We'll try some soup when she wakes up."

"Good, I have to go. I love you" After one more kiss, Jane grabbed her keys and left the house to get back to work, leaving Maura in the kitchen, staring at her sick daughter on the couch while the credits of the third movie played on the television screen. She could still feel Jane's lips on her own, her warmth and love still tingling on her skin. They were clearly back in their normal lives. Their lives of busy jobs, four children and demanding family. She shook her head and grabbed her laptop, opening it to start preparing for a trial while she made herself some coffee.

She got a good amount of work done before Anna woke up and she managed to make her eat some chicken soup. She was taking the girl's temperature when Lily bolted through the front door, throwing her backpack somewhere it didn't belong. "Mom!" 

"Hi, honey. Clear away that bag, please."

Lily grabbed it and tossed it on top of the kitchen counter. "I wanna show you something."

"What is it?"

"I got an A+!"

"My goodness, really?" Maura gasped and stood up from the couch, carefully lowering Anna.

"Yeah, my first one!"

"What for?"

"English." Lily pushed out her chest and pulled a slightly crumbled piece of paper out of her bag, showing it proudly.

"Wow, sweetheart. I am so proud of you." Maura smiled at the brightly red letters that said 'A+' in the bottom right corner of the paper, a report with the title 'family'. "What is it about? About us?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded and got up on one of the stools at the counter. "We had to write about our family, that was pretty much it. Teach said we had to be creative or something." She shrugged. "I thought it was pretty stupid but then I thought… we have a pretty interesting family, y'know? With Anna being adopted and then me being born from some kind of secret donor-man and then Rachel and Morgan getting adopted, and also I have two moms, which is also pretty cool 'cause I'm the only one in my class except for Luke and Jocelyn but their parents got divorced so that doesn't count," Lily smiled, her dark eyes sparkling while she rambled. "So I guess my family's really that interesting!"

Maura chuckled and quickly read through the report, noticing Lily's somewhat sloppy writing style but the grammar was correct and the words were sincere. This was something that was written from the heart, from the spontaneous and untamed personality that was Lily and Maura definitely agreed with the A+. "This is amazing, Lily. And not just because our family is interesting, but because you wrote it very well."

"Well…" Lily blushed and shrugged again. "I think it wouldn't be so good if my family was boring. I mean, it's not really fun to read about a family with a mom and a dad and two kids and a dog, right? It's much cooler to read about a family with secret donor-guys and adoptions, moms in prison and moms that are cops and the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

Maura chuckled. "I'm impressed you memorized that title."

"Right?!"

Maura laughed and cupped Lily's cheek to press her lips against her forehead. "It's not about our jobs or the way our family originated, baby. You could've written a very good paper if you had a 'boring' family as well."

"Maybe."

"I'm sure of it." Maura brushed her hand through her daughter's curls and caressed her cheek. "You are very creative, you write very well."

"But my history paper was only like, a C or something. I wrote that too." Lily straightened out the paper and put it away.

"That's because history doesn't require that much creativity. And because you don't like it." Maura smiled slightly. "You have a tendency to achieve higher results in subjects you find interesting."

"Yeah, I hate history. Who cares about Napoleon anyway?"

Maura chuckled, noticing the great similarity with her wife in the way Lily voiced her frustration. "I love you, baby girl."

"Right, love you too." She looked around the room and noticed Anna on the couch. "Anna still sick?"

"Yes."

"Where's Morgan? And Mama? Does she have to work 'til late?"

"Morgan is still at school, she'll be home soon. I'm afraid Mama will be late, yes."

Maura was right. Jane was late. The case they were working on was getting more complicated with every result they got and every suspect they talked to. The girls were already sleeping and Maura had just gotten into bed after a hot shower when she heard the front door opening and Jane's slow footsteps walking up the stairs. She was exhausted, Maura heard it in the way she walked.

She turned on her side, expecting Jane to walk into the bedroom but she smiled when she heard another door opening on the other side of the hallway, telling her that Jane was walking into one of the girl's rooms to give them a kiss goodnight. She did all three of them before she finally appeared into their bedroom, eliciting a sweet smile from the blonde in bed. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi." Jane sighed deeply and shrugged off her jacket. "I'm sorry I'm so late." 

"It's okay, we knew it was going to be a long day." 

"What about you? Did you finish for the trial?"

"No." Maura sighed and leaned herself up on her elbow. "I have to try and squeeze in some time tomorrow."

Jane reappeared after undressing in the closet, coming back wearing her old BPD T-shirt and a pair of cotton panties, untying her hair from her ponytail. "Back to live, huh," she whispered while pulling her bra out of her sleeve, tossing it on a chair in the corner of the room. "Harsh reality."

"Hm." Maura hummed and watched Jane walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth. "You look tired, babe," she said softly.

Jane sighed. She shrugged her shoulders and continued quickly brushing her teeth, finishing up her bedtime routine by splashing some water in her face and sliding into bed next to her wife. "It's a big transition," she whispered. "From our beautiful trip, doing nothing but stay in bed all day, to our busy lives here."

"I know." Maura scooted towards the brunette and gently touched her shoulder to make her lie down so she should snuggle against her side. "We're back to quick kisses and 'I love you's'."

"No." Jane shook her head.

"It's reality, Jane."

"Yeah, but-…"

"It's not necessarily a bad thing. I know you deserve so much more and trust me-… I'd take any chance to have you in bed all day. But we both love our jobs. And we love taking care of our children. So all of those quick kisses and rushed 'I love you's'… I don't want to take them for granted. I know they are genuine and you mean every bit of it."

"Always." Jane leaned forward and gently rested her forehead against her wife's.

"We'll make up for it at moments like this," Maura whispered. "Because I love you, Jane Rizzoli. I love you more than quick kisses in between taking shifts taking care of the kids."

"I love you too." Jane smiled lovingly, a smile that made Maura's stomach tingle and her heart flutter as she watched those dark eyes so deep, sparkling with love and affection before their lips met in a loving kiss. "I love even the quick kisses."

"All kisses with you are phenomenal," Maura smiled against Jane's lips and pulled herself tighter against the taller woman, tangling their legs together and resting her head on her warm chest, feeling her heartbeat on her cheek as Jane's fingers tangled in her hair and lightly scraped her scalp.

After a short moment of silence, Jane sighed deeply. "Maura."

"Hm?"

"I'm worried about Anna."

Maura sighed. "Me too."

"Are we sure it's the flu? I mean, her fever is so high all the time. And that cough-… It sounds bad."

"Her lungs are clean, I listened this afternoon. And she's only been sick for three days… But yes, I worry too."

"Maybe we have to take more tests," Jane whispered.

Maura lifted herself from her wife's chest and looked into dark eyes that were suddenly filled with concern and unconditional love for the young girl she just kissed goodnight, undoubtedly feeling her hot, feverish skin under her lips. "Let's see how she gets through the night. If she seeps okay, she might feel better tomorrow. It's only been three days; a flu can last up to ten days."

Jane hummed and nodded, agreeing with her love and pulling her back to their original position with Maura's head on her chest and their bodies pressed closely together. "I hate seeing her sick."

"Me too." Maura sighed and gently traced patterns on the brunette's skin under her shirt, feeling her tight abdomen under her fingers. "I hate seeing my little girl in pain."

"Let's just hope she'll feel better tomorrow." Jane gently pulled the blonde closer and kissed the top of her head. "And that we'll get some sleep as well."

"I doubt it."

"You shouldn't worry too much, Maur. We can't make her better."

"Oh, but I want to. So badly."

"I know. But right now-…" a yawn interrupted Jane and she nuzzled her nose into her wife's blond curls, "right now we need some sleep."

"Right." Maura pulled herself against her warm lover. "I love you, Jane."

"I love you too, Maura."


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N I have been getting a few requests to continue this story and I actually had a few things written, so here it is! Unfortunately, life is crazy busy right now. I barely have time to write and I have a few other stories going (check them out if you want to! They're all filled with fluff, love and some angst). I can't promise any regular updates on this story, but this family is very dear to me. I might get some new inspiration and continue it, so just give it a follow and you'll be updated. For now, thank you so much for reading and taking the time to review, it means the world to me!_

Chapter 38

Rain was beating against the dark windows of the bedroom. The light of a small lamp on the nightstand was illuminating the two women snuggled up in bed. It was late, the hours quietly ticking by while neither of them were able to sleep. They just stared at the wall, Jane half on top of Maura with her head on her wife's warm chest, Maura's fingers gently massaging the brunette's neck under her ponytail.

"Did you hear anything?" Jane lifted her head, listening intently for a second before resting back down on her lover's chest.

"No," Maura whispered. She sighed deeply and rested her head back against the headboard, closing her eyes when she felt Jane's hand moving up and down her side, caressing her skin with a gentle smoothness. "I don't hear anything."

Jane sighed as well and Maura felt her stiff muscles while she gently massaged her neck and shoulder with her fingers. "She's sleeping, Jane," she said quietly. "The antibiotics are wearing her out, she's exhausted."

Jane just hummed but Maura could tell her words did nothing to comfort her. She tightened her arms around her wife and kissed the top of her head. "I hate it as much as you do, my love."

Jane nodded weakly and Maura heard her swallowing a lump in her throat, her next words unsteady. "Pneumonia is bad, Maur."

"It is. It is life-threatening for elderly and newborns. People with bad health, weak immune systems, people in countries without proper medical care. Anna is a healthy, young girl. We are fortunate to live in a country with great medical care and we have the resources to give her everything she needs. She's getting the right antibiotics. She'll get better, Jane."

"I know," a single tear made its way down Jane's temple onto Maura's chest and her grip tightened on her wife's side. "I just hate it," her voice broke and she squeezed her eyes shut. "The way she cried when she couldn't breathe…"

Maura nodded, thinking back to the night they took their daughter to the hospital, the night she struggled to breathe, couldn't stop coughing and was too weak to even stand up. They carried her and she clung to them, crying, fearing. They calmed her down and the doctor gave her antibiotics and after a night at the hospital, they took her back home. Home, where she spent her day sleeping, coughing, trying to breathe. And now she was all alone in her bed and her mothers hated it. But she needed her sleep so badly to recover.

"I know, my love," Maura whispered, "I know."

They stayed silent for a while until the sound of muffled coughing sounded from down the hall. Jane immediately shot up in bed. She wanted to get up but looked at her wife first, quickly wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Go," Maura nodded and squeezed Jane's arm. "Go get her."

Immediately, Jane was off the bed and off to follow the sound of Anna's coughing. She came back with the teenager in her arms, carrying the girl even though she would be perfectly capable to walk herself. Anna coughed a few more times and then her wheezing breath got rushed and unsteady.

"Come here," Maura scooted away to make room and pulled Anna next to her, gently making her sit up. She gently rubbed her daughter's back and brushed her messy hair back. "This is good, baby," she said softly, hearing the girl coughing up all the phlegm in her lungs. "Just breathe, it's okay." When the coughing stopped, Maura pulled her daughter against her, wrapping her up tightly in her arms. "Shh," she soothed. "Calm down, my baby."

Jane sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes filled with tears and concern. Maura managed a small smile and reached out her hand.

She nodded and swallowed while sitting down next to her wife. She caressed Anna's cheek. "Peanut…"

Anna managed to take a deep breath and rested back against the headboard, closing her eyes. "I'm okay," she whispered hoarsely. She turned her head and rested herself against Jane next to her, the brunette's arms wrapping around the sick girl. "I'm so tired."

"I know, baby." Maura pulled the blankets over them and helped Anna to lie down, taking place next to her while the girl snuggled in close. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

Anna nodded, she turned on her side and curled up while Jane rubbed her back and kissed her head, Maura's arms wrapping around their daughter to comfort her. "How's the pain?" Jane asked quietly.

"Not as bad as yesterday," Anna replied. "Still burning, though."

"Hm."

"And I feel like I can breathe a little better. Except when those coughs come."

Jane hummed and both women gently wrapped their arms around their daughter as the girl calmed down. "You wanna watch some TV?" Jane asked softly. "To get your mind off it?"

Anna shook her head.

"Something else? A drink? Tea, maybe?"

"No." Anna shook her head again while she turned on her back. "I just want to sleep, but I can't."

Maura sighed and brushed a strand of hair away from the girl's forehead. "How can we help you?"

Anna shrugged and her breathing seemed to speed up a bit, the sound of it wheezing again as she got upset. "Shh," Maura soothed quietly. "Just try to breathe, baby. Calm down." She noticed her quiet whispers slowly calmed Anna down so she relaxed next to her daughter and put her hand on the girl's chest, feeling her shallow breaths. "Close your eyes, try not to think about anything… Good. That's it, honey," she smiled and shifted to press her lips against the girl's temple. "You don't have to be afraid."

Tears welled up in Anna's eyes and she closed them when one rolled into her hair. "I know," she whispered hoarsely. "It's just scary now when I can't breathe."

"I know, sweetheart." Maura looked over Anna to see Jane gently making circular strokes on their daughter's stomach, trying to soothe her.

"Try to get some sleep, peanut," Jane whispered. She shifted to get comfortable, resting her head on her arms but keeping a sharp eye on Anna. "We'll be here."

Anna nodded. She slowly closed her eyes and turned on her side to snuggle against her mothers. "G'night, Moms," she mumbled after a wheezing breath.

"Goodnight, my sweet girl." Maura smiled and pulled the girl as close as she could, weakly smiling at Jane before closing her own eyes.

She slept terribly bad that night. She couldn't bring herself to give in to sleep, wanting to keep an eye on her sleeping daughter long after the had fallen asleep. By the time it was 4AM, she had only slept for about half an hour and her head was pounding.

"Maur," Jane mumbled sleepily.

"Hm?" Maura lifted her head, noticing her wife being barely awake.

"Go to sleep, babe," she whispered. "'s Okay."

Maura smiled weakly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling Jane's hand reaching over Anna's sleeping body to grab her own, squeezing it gently. The small gesture offered enough comfort for the blonde to finally give in to her exhaustion.

When she woke up the next morning, she noticed everything around her was quiet and Anna was missing from the bed. Her eyes shot open and she lifted her upper body, looking around the room. No Jane, no Anna. "Anna? Anna, are you okay?"

She heard the sound of the toilet flushing and saw Jane entering the bedroom, smirking at her wife. "She's alright, taking a shower."

"A sh-… What time is it?" She looked at the alarm clock. "10AM? My goodness, Jane why didn't you wake me?"

Jane just chuckled and slid back into bed. "You're just on call today, there hasn't been a murder, and you really needed to get some more sleep."

Maura groaned. "I wanted to get my paperwork done, Jane."

"I'm sorry, I-… I thought I was doing you a favor."

Maura turned on her side and gently placed her hand on her wife's cheek, smiling at the beautiful brunette. "You did, thank you. I'll work from home tonight, it's okay."

Jane nodded and sighed in relief. She shifted towards the blonde and pressed her lips against Maura's in a light, sweet kiss. "You look tired, babe," she whispered.

"Hm." Maura just hummed and continued their kiss, her hands tangling in messy curls while Jane's arms wrapped around her wife's waist. "How's Anna?"

"She woke up feeling a little better. She had some food, but not much. I thought a shower might be good." 

Maura nodded. "Yes." She traced her wife's jaw with her fingers and looked into those godly beautiful brown eyes. "You didn't sleep much either, did you?"

Jane shook her head. "More than you, I think. But not great."

"It's time for our little girl to get better," Maura whispered after a deep sigh. She pulled herself against her wife and snuggled in as close as she could.

"Hm." Jane nodded, pulling her lover's head against her chest and kissing her hairline. "You want some coffee? Breakfast?"

Maura nodded against her wife but didn't let go of the tight embrace. "I'd love some, in a minute." She closed her eyes and smiled slightly while she rested comfortably against the brunette. They stayed silent for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company until the sound of the shower running stopped and light footsteps sounded down the hall a while later.

Anna walked into the bedroom, her hair wet, a large sweater reaching to her upper legs. She looked incredibly tired and her skin was as pale as the white sheets on the bed. Maura lifted herself off her wife. "Hi, baby. How are you feeling?"

Anna shrugged. She slid into the bed when Maura lifted the blankets for her daughter. "Showering makes me tired."

Maura hummed. She placed her hand on the girl's forehead and felt a slight increase in temperature. "Your immune system is working very hard to get rid of the infection, it's no surprise you're exhausted."

Anna rested against her mother's side when Maura gently pulled her head to her chest, gently stroking her back when the girl yawned. "Are you gonna stay in bed?" she asked.

"For now, yes." She felt Jane's lips kissing her temple before the detective stood up from the bed, heading downstairs to get that breakfast she offered.

Turning on the TV for some needed distraction, Maura lowered herself a bit to rest against the headboard, feeling Anna snuggling tightly against her. "How long is this gonna last, Mom?"

Maura sighed. "It could be a while. The worst will hopefully be over soon but I'm afraid it'll take a few weeks before you're fully back."

"Weeks?" Anna groaned. "I want to go back to school."

"Hmm, not for a while, baby." She pressed her lips against the girl's temple and closed her eyes. "Your health is more important than your education."

"I know." The girl yawned and rested herself on her mother's chest.

Maura smiled sadly as she watched the beautiful girl slowly drifting off to sleep. "You'll be okay, my love," she whispered. "It'll be over soon."


End file.
